


Until My Dying Day

by mb_stortroen1832



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bookstores, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Don't copy to another site, Enjolras/Grantaire-centric, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, Forbidden Love, Getting to Know Each Other, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Influenza, M/M, Mutual Pining, New York City, Romance, Secret Relationship, Sick Enjolras, Sneaking Around, Spoilers for the Shadowhunter Chronicles, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:34:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 74,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27986247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mb_stortroen1832/pseuds/mb_stortroen1832
Summary: Their families are rivals. Their friends would never understand. They are risking everything to be together, but to them it's worth it.
Relationships: Enjolras/Grantaire (Les Misérables)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	1. Part 1: Rewrite the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> **JUST A FEW QUICK NOTES!**
> 
> 1\. Please read the [**THINGS TO BE AWARE OF IN MY FICS**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mb_stortroen1832/profile) section of my profile before continuing. If any of what is listed is something that will bother you, please refrain from reading. If none of it will, please go forth and enjoy!
> 
> 2\. I loosely based this story on _Romeo and Juliet_ and I, lovingly, call this: "R&J without the death and violence with the atmosphere (meaning the partying and privilege aspect) of _Gossip Girl_ ". I'd love to know if you were able to figure out who each of the characters is supposed to represent in R&J!
> 
> 3\. When this story is in narrative, they will be referred to as "Enjolras" and "Grantaire", but in dialogue/messages/notes, they will be referred to by what I've chosen as their first names "Julien" and "Nicolas".
> 
> 4\. This story is told in three different parts, set in different times of E and R's relationship. Part one (1) is the development, part two (2) is a few years into their relationship, and part three (3) is an epilogue set about a year after the end of two (2).
> 
> 5\. An important plot device in this story — as said in the tags — is the book series, _The Shadowhunter Chronicles_ by Cassandra Clare (I love this series like some people love(d) Harry Potter). The opinions that E and R share regarding this series are mine and only mine, this includes opinions on the movie and television show. That being said, I have heard every negative thing there is to say about this series and author, but it won't change how I feel about them and while I'm respectful of people whose opinions differ, I kindly ask that if you have a negative opinion that you refrain from posting it here. Thank you! 😊
> 
> 6\. **WARNING** : In part one (1), they do have consensual sex when they are both 16, so if that makes you uncomfortable, please turn back. In part two (2), they are both 18 meaning the sex is completely legal.
> 
> 7\. **CONTENT WARNINGS FOR SEX** : Anal sex, anal fingering, oral sex, and a mention of drunk sex.
> 
> 8\. All spelling/grammar mistakes are my own.
> 
> 9\. I do not own _Les Misérables_ , or its characters. I also don't own _The Shadowhunter Chronicles_ by Cassandra Clare. This work is pure fiction.
> 
> I hope you enjoy! 😊

_October 2013_

His cat, Angel, had been meowing in his ear from the last five minutes, but he was trying to feign sleep for as long as possible. Eventually, the meowing started to grow on his nerves. Enjolras opened one eye to see the smoky face surrounded by white fur and blue eyes of his Himalayan cat, looking at him like she would murder him if she didn't get fed soon.

"I love you, girl, but you sure know how to drive your Daddy nuts." Enjolras scratched under her chin. "It's only"—he looked at his phone that was sitting on the bedside table—"6:10." He sighed. 

His alarm was going to go off in five minutes, so he might as well get up. Right as he was crawling out from under the covers, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

"Good morning, Julien. I trust you slept well." The housekeeper, Mary, came in with his freshly cleaned school uniform and Angel's breakfast. Angel was fed twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night per the vet's orders. 

Mary had been the housekeeper for the Enjolras family since Enjolras was two-years-old. She was a kind lady in her 60's, and one of Enjolras's favorite people that worked for his parents. Mary had also given him Angel as his 13th birthday present. 

At first Enjolras's parents had been reluctant to allow him to keep her since she was a shedding cat. But after Enjolras swore to brush her every day, they allowed him to keep her.

"Thank you, Mary." Enjolras set Angel down on the floor right as Mary set the bowl of food down. "I slept fine. Didn't get to bed until late because I was working on homework."

Enjolras walked into the bathroom that was connected to his bedroom to do his business while Mary set his uniform out. When his cat finished, Mary bent down to get the bowl and walked toward the door as Enjolras came out of his bathroom.

"Breakfast will be ready in about a half hour." Mary turned back to him. "Oh, and don't forget that it is your first day of work after school today." Then, she closed the door. Enjolras smiled at the reminder of work.

Enjolras had refused to become like his parents, who had never worked for the money that they had. In order to do that, Enjolras had decided to get a job when he started his sophomore year of high school. So, after school that day, it was his first day of work at Lamarque's Wonder Emporium of Books and he couldn't wait to start. Lamarque was a family friend, and he had given him the job on sight when he had come in for the interview. 

He started his morning routine, which consisted of him washing his face, brushing his teeth, and running a quick comb through his golden ringlets. Then, he started to get dressed for the day.

Enjolras attended school at John F. Montgomery School. It was a 9-12 private high school that required their male/male-identifying students to wear tan khaki pants, a white button up shirt with a red and navy striped tie and a navy colored jacket with the school's logo on the left side of the chest. For the female/female-identifying students, everything was the same except that they wore a knee length red and navy striped skirt. Both groups had to wear navy socks and Doc Martens. Enjolras had tried more than once to revolt against the school uniform, but that usually ended with him in detention, with his friends being the only ones to join him.

Once he was dressed, Enjolras sighed as he leaned down to pet Angel, who was now lying on her cat tree. She didn't react, so he left her to her lounging. He went to his closet to grab a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, placing them in a drawstring bag in the design of the French flag. They would be the clothes he wore to work. Enjolras walked to his desk to place his textbooks and homework in his messenger bag before leaving his room to get some breakfast.

Enjolras walked into the kitchen, setting his bags down with Angel following after him. Mary had a plate of French toast and bacon waiting for him, along with a glass of orange juice. When he finished eating, he quickly did his breakfast dishes, grabbed his thermos of hot coffee, gave some more love to Angel, and then left the penthouse apartment to make his ride on time.

***

Across the city, in another penthouse apartment, the housekeeper, Ella, was trying to get Nicolas Grantaire up.

"Nic! You have five minutes to wake up until you are late for school!" Ella opened the bedroom door with a slam. Grantaire groaned before removing the covers from his head. "I better see you downstairs in three minutes or else I'm chasing you to school with a broom."

"Good morning to you, too," Grantaire muttered, running his hands through his curls and over his eyes. Ella's smile was tight when she closed the door.

Grantaire stood up to start getting ready for the day. He beat Ella's three minute threat by being downstairs in a minute and a half. She gave him a look that he had decided to call her: "you're-going-to-give-me-grey-hair-before-I'm-forty" look.

"Where are my parents?" Grantaire asked as he filled his travel mug with coffee.

"Your mom left," Ella said. "She headed down to the shelter to help them with the morning breakfast rush. Your dad is in his office working on how to beat Alphonse and Marguerite Enjolras in this year's Christmas charity drive."

"It's 7:30 in the morning. In _October_. A little early to worry about that, don't you think?" Grantaire asked.

Ella held up her hands in surrender. "Take it up with him, kid. I've washed my hands of the whole Grantaire vs. Enjolras thing."

"When is it going to end? Who cares anymore?" Grantaire sighed.

"Apparently he does." Ella gestured her head in the direction of the office.

"All I know is that I want no part in it. None." Grantaire grabbed his bag again. He kissed Ella on the cheek and left the apartment.

The rivalry between his family and the Enjolras family went back for as long as Grantaire could remember. From what he understood, it had started in the 1920s when his great-grandparents had apparently stolen land from François Enjolras and his wife, erupting in an all-out war between the families. It was a real-life Montague vs. Capulet, but without all the violence and death. The rivalry mostly flared up when it came to parties, raising money for charity, and other things. Grantaire wanted absolutely no part in any of it. The rivalry was between his parents and Alphonse and Marguerite. Not him.

Instead, Grantaire turned his attention to his music, art, dancing, soccer, work at Lamarque's Wonder Emporium of Books, and waiting anxiously for the release of _City of Heavenly Fire_ , the final installment of Cassandra Clare's _The Mortal Instruments_ (TMI) series. The book wasn't out until May 27th, 2014, but he was itching to get his hands on it to find out what happens to Jace, Clary, Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle. Grantaire planned on re-reading the series in January in order to have them all fresh in his mind for _City of Heavenly Fire_. But before that there was the release of _The Shadowhunter's Codex_ at the end of October. He already had his tickets to the signing.

His friends didn't understand his love for these books and constantly teased him about it, but he didn't care. His friends could say whatever they wanted about them, and he would still love them as much as he did the moment he cracked the first book open.

He had been a fan of the books since January 2012. His parents had given him the first four _Mortal Instruments_ books as a Christmas present, but at the time he had no interest in reading them. Until one day in January when school had been cancelled due to a snowstorm, he had picked up _City of Bones_ on a whim, and finished it in a day because he had been unable to put it down. Then, he had devoured the next three.

After finishing _City of Fallen Angels,_ Grantaire had done research on Cassandra Clare and her books to discover that there was also a prequel series called _The Infernal Devices_ (TID). He had gone to the closest bookstore to buy them immediately after. After reading both series, he was hooked.

Once he had finished, Grantaire had done more research and found out that the fifth book in _The Mortal Instruments_ series, _City of Lost Souls,_ was scheduled to be published on May 8th, 2012, and with his mother's permission, he had pre-ordered it. Then, he had gone to the signing for _City of Lost Souls,_ where he had met Cassandra Clare for the first time.

Now, his collection of Shadowhunter books that were signed by Cassie consisted of all five _Mortal Instruments_ books ( _City of Bones_ , _City of Ashes,_ _City of Glass,_ _City of Fallen Angels,_ and _City of Lost Souls)_ and all three _Infernal Devices_ books ( _Clockwork Angel_ , _Clockwork Prince,_ and _Clockwork Princess_ ). He couldn't wait to add signed copies of the _Codex_ and _City of Heavenly Fire_ to that collection when they came out.

There was also _The Bane Chronicles,_ a series of novellas detailing the life of the High Warlock of Brooklyn, Magnus Bane, that were being released individually in e-book form, and would be published in a print edition next year. Grantaire loved them because Magnus was his favorite character in the series and he loved learning more about his life. It sucked having to read them in e-book form, though, because he preferred physical books, but he lived with it in order to read more from his favorite author.

But as Grantaire entered the gates of the John F. Montgomery School, he put all that out of his mind as he walked up to the table that his friends were sitting at in the courtyard. He fist bumped Bahorel, Éponine, and Bossuet. Then, he did his secret handshake with Jehan and Joly and hugged Musichetta.

He had been friends with Joly and Bossuet since pre-school; Jehan since fourth grade; Musichetta since sixth grade; Bahorel and Éponine since seventh grade. He loved all of his friends dearly. He could not live without his friends. The only thing Grantaire didn't love very much was their need to party and bend the rules because they were all considered Manhattan's elite.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" Bahorel asked.

Grantaire looked at his friend. "Um...you guys can do whatever you want to. I have to work.

Éponine groaned. "You always have to work."

"Yeah because I like my job," Grantaire replied.

"Fine," his friends all said.

And then, Bahorel noticed the group across the courtyard.

The friends of Julien Enjolras, the son of Alphonse and Marguerite.

Grantaire had always done his best to be civil with Enjolras, but their friend groups hated each other as much as their parents did, so there tended to be trash talking between the groups even when Enjolras and/or Grantaire tried to keep the peace between them.

As he glanced at Enjolras, he could admit that the 15-year-old was attractive. He had golden curls, a structured jawline, and a pointed nose. He was also lean, but very tall. From seeing photos, Grantaire knew that he had sky blue eyes. Enjolras definitely had looks that made boys and girls fawn over him. Not that Grantaire cared. Honestly.

Grantaire turned back to his friends and saw Bahorel open his mouth to yell something to antagonize them causing Grantaire to roll his eyes.

"Just leave them alone," Grantaire hissed.

Then, he stood up to walk into the school, moments before the bell rang. His friends followed after him.

***

Across the way, Enjolras was sitting at his usual table in the courtyard. He pulled _City of Fallen Angels_ from his bag to read while he waited for his friends. Enjolras was in the middle of his end of the year re-read of his favorite book series of all-time. He was more than halfway through _City of Fallen Angels_ already, and he couldn't wait to move on to _Clockwork Prince_.

His love for the books had started in September 2011, when he had started his last year of middle school. Enjolras had been lonely during that time due to all of his friends going to different middle schools than him. He had been bullied by a few kids in his class, too. As a way to cheer him up, his grandmother, Adeline, had taken him to a bookstore and told him to pick any book.

Enjolras had spent a good hour trying to find the perfect book. Then, he came across a book with a cover of a half naked man on it with the title _City of Bones_. He had no idea what it was about, but he had been drawn to the cover. He picked up the book, walked to his grandmother, saying, "This one." His grandmother hadn't questioned it, only led him to the checkout desk to buy him the book. Once they got home, Enjolras had started reading it immediately and devoured it within hours. Then, he went to find Adeline to gush about the book for hours.

The next morning, Adeline had told him that the book was part of a series and that the next three books had already been released as had another book that was part of a prequel series. She promised him that that day after school, they would go to the bookstore and pick up the rest.

After reading the rest of the books, it was safe to say that Enjolras was hooked. Adeline pre-ordered _Clockwork Prince_ for him which was published that December and had bought him tickets to Cassandra Clare's book signing, so that he could meet her. And the more books that were released, the more Enjolras fell in love with them.

It was with the help of the books that Enjolras came to terms with the fact that he was gay when he was a freshman in high school. Enjolras been struggling to accept that he was gay when he first started to realize that he liked boys more than girls. But then, he remembered that Alec Lightwood, his favorite character, was just like him. Gay.

From the moment that he had picked up the books, Enjolras had felt a sort of kinship with Alec, but he didn't understand why. Then, it all made sense once he realized his sexuality. As he read about Alec's journey with his sexuality, it had helped Enjolras in knowing that he wasn't alone. That there were other people out there in the world like him. And now, he accepted himself and he was happy to be who he was. The only thing that sucked about it was his parents.

He had come out to his parents, accidentally, in the summer when they asked him why he wasn't dating anyone. Needless to say, they weren't as accepting as he thought they'd be. They pretty much said that they didn't care as long as Enjolras wasn't flaunting it by dating anyone. Adeline had been furious with her son and his wife when she first found out how they treated Enjolras when he came out to them. She had hugged him while he cried before going into their office and ripping into them. Suffice to say, it didn't do any good, but Enjolras didn't care. He had always loved his grandma more than his own parents anyway. But now, he'd be spending less time at home due to his job and he couldn't be more excited.

Enjolras was still reading when Combeferre approached the table.

Combeferre had been one of his best friends since they were toddlers. He had read _The Shadowhunter Chronicles_ too, and while he had enjoyed them, it wasn't to the same extent as Enjolras. His best friend much preferred reading classical books.

Enjolras put the book away after Combeferre sat down. Then, after Combeferre arrived at the table, the rest of his friends, Courfeyrac, Feuilly, Cosette, and Marius, sat down too. 

Courfeyrac was his other best friend since they were toddlers; Marius was dragged into the group by Courfeyrac when they were fourth graders; he had known Cosette his whole life as her adoptive father, Jean Valjean, was a family friend and one of the history teachers at John F. Montgomery; Feuilly was a senior and had joined their friend group when he had to help Enjolras in woodshop class (a class that all freshmen were required to take). Needless to say, Feuilly has been his first crush and first kiss, but it had never amounted to anything more than that due to Feuilly being ace/aro. He had told him that well he was flattered by Enjolras's feelings, he explained why he wasn't interested and hoped they could remain friends. And while his crush on Feuilly had gone away, his admiration for Feuilly was still strong. How could it not be when Feuilly was resilient and never let anything get him down?

"Hey, Enj," Courfeyrac greeted.

"Hey." Enjolras took a sip of his coffee.

"You start your job today, right?" Combeferre asked.

Enjolras nodded with a smile. "Yep. I'm so excited. I can't wait to be surrounded by all the books."

Just then, they heard a ruckus from across the courtyard. Enjolras and his friends looked up and saw that it was Nicolas Grantaire and his group of friends. Enjolras turned back to face his friends. Not having any interest in starting something between them. Hell, he hated the rivalry between his own parents and Grantaire's. It made no sense to him. Okay, so someone stole some land. Big deal. It happened over 90 years ago, it was time to get over it. Enjolras just left his parents to deal with it. Grantaire had never done anything to him, and vice versa, so he treated him like they were civilized people.

It didn't hurt that he thought that Grantaire was one of the most handsome men that he knew. He had dark curls that hung over his green eyes. His skin was tan — something that came from his family being from southern France. He was short, but skinny and had some muscles, due to years of playing soccer in the fall and lacrosse in the spring. He also had some stubble and a slightly crooked nose. Some people probably would think that he was just average, but not to Enjolras. To him, Grantaire was gorgeous. Not that Enjolras would ever admit to thinking that.

However, their friend groups were a different story. They couldn't stop themselves from antagonizing each other, so there tended to be heckling and arguments between the groups every other day. For his group, he and Combeferre (he didn't care for or understand the feud between the families anymore than Enjolras did) tried to stop their friends and keep the peace, and Grantaire attempted to do the same with his own. Enjolras saw Bahorel open his mouth to say something, but then Grantaire stopped him, and just seconds later the first warning bell rang.

The warning bell was to warn students to start heading to their lockers to get their books since they only had five minutes to get to their classes once the bell rang. Enjolras stood up and headed for his locker to put his bags in. Then, he headed off to his biology class.

***

Arriving at Lamarque's bookstore, Enjolras opened the door and the bell above the door went off.

Where the bookstore looked small on the outside, it was actually quite large. It had sections upon sections of books with a staircase leading up to a second level. Next door was a small café that served coffee, tea, and baked goods. The café was connected to the bookstore by sliding doors, but also had an entrance to the street. The café had its own staff of workers separated from the bookshop, but it was still owned by Lamarque.

Lamarque had been operating the bookstore for over 30 years. He was 65, and Enjolras held him in a very high regard. Lamarque was everything that Enjolras aspired to be for so many reasons that he couldn't even name them all. It didn't hurt that Lamarque was also his godfather.

Lamarque was going over inventory sheets at the register when Enjolras walked in. He looked up when he heard the bell.

"Ahh, Jules. Right on time," Lamarque said.

Enjolras greeted him and eager to get started asked, "Where can I set my bags?"

Lamarque gestured behind the counter. "The lockers for personal belongings are right behind here. The only ones that aren't available are 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 16, 19, 21, 22, and 32. If you want a lock, you'll have to get one."

Enjolras walked behind the counter to choose his locker as 18, setting his belongings inside.

"The information for you to clock in with is right next to the register." Lamarque showed him how to clock in with his employee ID and password.

Lamarque started showing him what he was doing with the inventory sheets when the door opened again. The bell rang, catching Enjolras's attention and he looked up to see Nicolas Grantaire walk in the door. Lamarque looked up too.

"Hey, Nic," Lamarque said.

"Hey," Grantaire said, not being able to keep his eyes off of Enjolras. "And Julien."

"Hi," Enjolras said quietly.

Lamarque noticed the awkward greeting. He looked between the two. "Um, is your families' history going to cause problems with both of you working here?"

"No," Enjolras said.

"Nope," Grantaire agreed.

"Alright, good, because more often than not, you two will be working the same shift, especially once soccer season is done, so play nice," Lamarque said. "In the meantime, Nic, come clock in. I'm going to continue training Jules in."

"Yes, sir." Grantaire walked behind the counter to clock in.

But Enjolras was standing in the way, so when he turned to move, he bumped into Grantaire. They both stepped to the left, then to the right, awkwardly. Then, stepped to the left again. Until finally, Grantaire stepped to the right and Enjolras stepped to the left.

Lamarque watched the exchange, a small smirk playing on his face and thought, _This is going to be interesting._

"Jules," Lamarque said, "come with me."

The first two days of work for Enjolras would be training for him. Training in inventory, stocking shelves, the register, and taking care of online orders. Currently, Lamarque was training him on how to take inventory. His inventory training lasted until his lunch break, then Lamarque trained him on how to work the register while Grantaire took to filling online orders.

Time seemed to fly by and before Enjolras knew it, it was closing time. Lamarque closed the register with Enjolras watching closely. Grantaire observing for security's sake.

One other person had to watch while the other counted the money to make sure nothing was stolen. Then, once the first counter counted it up, the observer had to, too, and sign off on the sheet of paper with the amount they each had gotten. Lamarque always recounted the money when he got in the next morning, just to make sure. Once it was all counted up, Lamarque went to his office to lock up that days' earnings. In the meantime, Grantaire collected his belongings from his locker as Enjolras clocked out. 

"Um...Grantaire, can I talk to you for a minute?" Enjolras asked.

"Sure. What's up?" Grantaire asked.

"I know that we agreed earlier that we can remain civil, but I just wanted to make sure you have no issues with my working here," Enjolras explained.

"Why would I have an issue?" Grantaire asked. "As far as I'm concerned, the feud between our families is between my parents and yours, not us, so I have no interest in starting anything with you."

"Okay. That's good to hear because I feel the same way about the feud," Enjolras said. Grantaire moved to clock out, then he walked around the counter to wait for Lamarque to finish. Enjolras scratched behind his head nervously. He cleared his throat. "Um...and I thought that while we are at work we should treat each other like any other coworkers would. Friendly conversation, but we know that neither of us really care. You get what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I do, and I agree. So, does that mean that I get to call you Jules?" Grantaire asked, teasingly.

"Only if I'm able to call you Nic? Only at the workplace, obviously."

"Obviously, but yes, you can call me Nic."

"And you can call me Jules."

They smiled at each other before Enjolras broke it, saying, "Well, I better get home. I'll see you tomorrow, Nic."

"See you later, Jules," Grantaire said.

Lamarque came out the back, so Enjolras called, "Goodnight, Lamarque!"

"Goodnight, Jules!" Lamarque called back.

***

Enjolras walked into the kitchen. Mary was in the middle of doing the dinner dishes. He kissed her on the cheek. He had greeted Adeline the same way after he walked in the front door. He ran his bags up to his bedroom before coming to the kitchen for his dinner.

"Hey, Jules." Mary smiled. "You have a plate in the microwave."

"Thanks." Enjolras headed for the microwave to heat up his dinner. "Where are my parents?"

Mary turned to look at him. "They went out for drinks with Combeferre's parents after dinner to talk business."

"Of course, they did," Enjolras said, pouring himself a glass of water. He took the plate out from the microwave. He saw that dinner was meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, and glazed carrots.

"Then, there's banana cream pie in the fridge for dessert," Mary said as Enjolras sat down to eat. "So, how was the first day of work?"

Enjolras shrugged. "Didn't do much other than be trained in."

Mary finished wiping her hands. She turned to face him as she started to dry off the pots and pans that didn't go in the dishwasher. "Of course. How was Lamarque? Did you know any of your coworkers?"

Enjolras set down his fork, taking a sip of his water. "Lamarque is good. As the owner, he's the one who is training me in. And while I'm sure Lamarque has many employees, I only met one." Mary waited for him to elaborate. "It's Nicolas Grantaire."

Mary's face turned tight as she nodded. "That must have been awkward."

"It was alright. I mean, neither of us want any part in the feud and we tend to avoid each other at school, and if we have to interact there, we remain civil, so I think we can do the same thing at work."

"Good," Adeline said as she walked in the kitchen. "I've only met Nicolas at a few functions before and he's always been kind to me. Sure, I've heard that he can be a bit of a…" she trailed off as she tried to find the right word. "Pardon the language, an asshole, but for the most part, he seems like a good boy."

"And hey, for all you know, you two could become friends and bring the families together," Mary said.

Enjolras looked at her, exasperated. "Yeah, like that's going to happen."

"Why do you say that?" Mary said. Adeline looked like she agreed with Mary.

"Because we have nothing in common. Other than the fact that we come from two families that hate each other for the dumbest reason ever." The sarcasm in Enjolras's voice was obvious.

"You never know. Stranger things have happened," Adeline replied.

Enjolras rolled his eyes, but his smile was filled with fondness as he stood up. "If you say so." He set the plate back in the sink while Mary got him a piece of pie. "I'm going to take the pie upstairs."

Mary handed him the plate of dessert and he headed upstairs. Once he left the room, Mary and Adeline gave each other knowing expressions.

When he got up to his room, he discovered that Angel was already in the room, laying on her cat tree. He scratched her under her chin, then went to sit down at his desk with his pie to do his homework.

***

Over the course of the next week, Enjolras finished his job training and now, Lamarque trusted Grantaire and Enjolras enough to leave them in charge once both had arrived for their shifts. He and Grantaire got along by only interacting when it was necessary and using pleasantries. Of course, that was helped by the fact that for the time being Grantaire only worked on Wednesdays and Saturdays due to his soccer schedule. But when they did work together they did whatever they could to not make it an awkward experience for those who came into Lamarque's store. Thankfully, there hadn't been any issues during school between their friends groups, so that allowed them to be able to work with relative peace between them.

In other news, Enjolras had finished _City of Fallen Angels,_ and was currently on _Clockwork Prince._ He also had his tickets to Cassie's signing for the _Codex_ , courtesy of Adeline. She had said that it was his birthday present from her. Enjolras's parents didn't understand his love for the series, so they had rolled their eyes when Adeline had given him the tickets.

Enjolras just wished that he could find someone that loved the books as much as he did. He only had his grandma to talk about them with, but that wasn't nearly as much fun because she hadn't read them. Right now, though, Enjolras wasn't going to worry about that. Instead, he was going to enjoy his dinner break as he read.

He warmed up his Tupperware container of leftover lasagna that Mary had packed for him and grabbed his copy of the book. He went to sit down at one of the chairs in the reading corner of the store, all with the timer set for 30 minutes. As he ate, he opened the book and started reading.

While Enjolras was on break, Grantaire was the only one running the store. Not that it was that big of a deal. No one had come into the store for over an hour. They had mostly been restocking and taking inventory that day. But Grantaire was anxiously awaiting his own break time because he could hear his food calling his name, but he had graciously allowed Enjolras to take his break first.

Speaking of Enjolras, working with him wasn't half as bad as he thought it would be and that made him happy. It wasn't awkward between them which wasn't just good for them, but also for the customers that they have while working. It was also nice to see a different side of Enjolras.

For years, Grantaire had believed that the teenager was cold and distant, but had been proven wrong. He was actually kind, caring, and had a warm heart that was hidden by the need to be aloof because of his family.

Grantaire sat behind the counter, going through the inventory, so that Lamarque could put in another order of books. He looked up as he thought about what other books he knew that they were short on. He tapped his pen against the counter as his eyes scanned over the store. They found Enjolras reading _Clockwork Prince_ in the little reading nook that Lamarque created before skipping over him. But then, they zoomed back when Grantaire's brain processed what book it was that his coworker was reading.

 _What the fuck?_ Grantaire thought. 

There was no way that Enjolras was a fan of those books. Just no way. Urban fantasy with half-angel, half-human demon hunters did not sound like something that was up his alley. There was just no way. Granted, he could be reading the books for the first time, but he soon crossed that possibility out when he noticed how worn and loved the book was.

He needed to investigate this.

Now.

He set his pen down and walked out from behind the counter, over to where Enjolras was sitting. 

Enjolras brought his water to his mouth when he felt a shadow over him. He looked up at Grantaire. "Can I help you?"

"No. I just...you're a fan of the Shadowhunter books?" Grantaire asked. He had thought that he had asked the question kindly, but based on the dark look that formed in Enjolras's eyes, he figured he was wrong.

Enjolras bookmarked the page and closed the book, and yep, there was Jem Carstairs. Right on the cover with his cane and silver hair. "Yes, I am. Do you have a problem with it?"

Grantaire quickly shook his head. "No. Absolutely not. I just...I've never met another fan that lived in such close proximity to me before. I mean, I have at signings, but not one that I actually know personally."

"Wait? Are you saying that you're a fan?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire took a seat next to him. "Calling me 'a fan' is putting it mildly. I'm a fucking super fan. Have been since January 2012."

"Really." Enjolras set the book on the table. "I've been one since September 2011. My grandmother bought me _City of Bones._ I read it in a day, then we went out to buy the next three, as well as _Clockwork Angel._ I also have the first three _Mortal Instruments_ books and all of _Infernal Devices_ signed by Cassie. I'm waiting to get the last three _Mortal Instruments_ books signed until _Heavenly Fire_ is released. This is my favorite book series of all time."

"Mine too," Grantaire said. "Of course, how I discovered them is different, but similar at the same time. My parents gave me the first four books of _Mortal Instruments_ for Christmas in 2011, but I didn't read them until a snow day in January. When I picked up _City of Bones,_ I couldn't put it down. I devoured the rest including _Clockwork Angel_ and _Clockwork Prince_ in a matter of days. I have all of them signed too." He took a second to continue processing this information. "I'm sorry, but I just can't believe this."

"I can't either. I've always wanted to meet someone that loves these books as much as I do, but not at a signing. I'm just having a hard time believing that it's you, the son of my family's sworn enemy."

Grantaire smiled. "I can't either, but at the same time, I'm finding myself pleased that it's you."

"Why?"

Grantaire shrugged. "It gives us something to talk about to keep the peace."

Enjolras nodded in agreement. "So, what's your favorite book in both series?"

"For TMI, _City of Lost Souls._ For TID, _Clockwork Prince_ ," Grantaire answered. "Yours?"

"Right now for TMI, it's _City of Glass_ , but I have a sneaky suspicion that it will change to _City of Heavenly Fire_ when it's released. For the longest time I thought my favorite in TID was _Clockwork Princess,_ but every time I re-read _Clockwork Prince_ , it just breaks me, so that's my favorite, too. Characters? Mine's Alec for TMI, and Jem for TID."

"Um...Magnus all the way around," Grantaire said. "Although, I do genuinely love most of the characters in each series. Did you see the movie?"

Enjolras nodded. "Yes, but where I thought that they got the aesthetic of the books correct, I wasn't happy with the way that they screwed up the storyline. Like the change of having Hodge plant the idea of Jace and Clary being siblings in Valentine's head when Valentine had already planned to tell them that or not having Valentine get the Mortal Cup. What the fuck was that? Also, why did everyone and their mother want the Mortal Cup? The werewolves, warlocks, and vampires can't get anything out of it, so why would they want it? It just made no sense to me. However, Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower were the perfect Clary and Jace. I just loved them so much."

"Yeah, those were my thoughts too. I'm very curious how they'll do a second movie with all the changes they made," Grantaire replied. "Have you read _The Bane Chronicles_?"

"Of course," Enjolras said, "but as much as I adore Magnus, I think I prefer Cassie's novels to her novellas. But I do like them."

Grantaire nodded. "Yeah, I can see that. So far, my favorite is _The Midnight Heir_."

"I haven't chosen a favorite, yet," Enjolras said.

For the next 10 minutes of Enjolras's break and the whole of Grantaire's break, the two of them discussed their favorite book series, the twists, the opinions on which of the two series was better (Grantaire argued that TID was superior, and while Enjolras agreed to a certain extent, he couldn't help the sentimental tie that he had to TMI), the love triangle in TID, the characters, the plot, and everything in between. The conversation continued through the rest of their shifts, and as they started to close the store.

"Are you going to go to the signing for the _Codex_?" Grantaire asked as he grabbed his stuff from his locker after they closed down the register.

Enjolras nodded as he put on his jacket. "Of course. My grandma got me tickets for my 16th birthday a few days ago. She was the only one who understood my obsession up until now."

"Well, I'm glad to be of service." Grantaire smiled.

Enjolras returned the smile. He checked the time. He had five minutes to reach his bus. "Oh, shit. Can you lock up without me? I'm going to miss my bus, if I don't leave now."

"Yeah, go. See you tomorrow, Jules," Grantaire said.

"Goodnight, Nic." And Enjolras was gone, sprinting toward the bus stop to make his bus.

Enjolras made his bus just in time. The bus driver, who was a kind and generous elderly man in his mid-60's smiled, as he got on, saying, "When I didn't see you at the stop, I decided to wait an extra few minutes to see if you would make an appearance. I'm glad I did."

"Thank you, so much. I was in the middle of a fascinating conversation, or at least fascinating for me, with a coworker and wasn't watching the time. Sorry," Enjolras apologized, taking a seat.

"It's alright. I'm just glad that you got on safe and sound." The bus driver closed the door and they were off to the next stop.

***

Once Enjolras got home, he greeted Mary and Adeline and hearing his parents arguing in their office, he went straight upstairs. He set his drawstring bag on his bed while placing his messenger bag on his desk. Then, he ran up to the bathroom, then he changed into his pajamas.

A few years ago, Enjolras's bedroom had been renovated to fit his dream bedroom. He spent most of his time in the room when he was home, and it had everything that he needed. When you first walked in, the first thing you saw was the small three step staircase that led up to his closet, drawers, and his own private bathroom. There was a mini refrigerator and microwave up there too, just in case the need ever arose. Then, at the farthest end of the room was another small three step staircase. The French windows overlooked the skyline of the city and had dark curtains hanging over them to block out the sun. There was also a set of French doors that led out to a small balcony that also held the fire escape. On the right side of the windows and French doors was Enjolras's desk. 

In between the two staircases there was a 32 inch flat screen TV with a small entertainment center that held the DVD player and his small collection of DVD's. In the opposite corner was Angel's cat tree. Next to the entertainment center were two five shelf bookcases. Across from the entertainment center was his suede sectional couch. In front of the couch sat a coffee table. Behind the couch there was his queen bed with red sheets and a comforter with a bedside table on both sides. Enjolras loved his bedroom so much, and it was exactly the way he wanted it to look.

When he had changed into his pajamas, Enjolras went to sit down at his desk to work on his homework. 

About 10 minutes later, there was a knock on his bedroom door. Enjolras looked up from his assigned reading, saying, "Come in."

It was Mary coming in with a tray of that night's dinner. "You disappeared so quickly, I wasn't able to say anything. How was work?"

Enjolras shrugged. "It was alright." He took a forkful of beef stir fry into his mouth. When he swallowed his food, he turned to Mary, who was giving Angel some chin scratches. "Apparently, there is something that Nicolas and I do have in common."

Mary raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Really? And that is?"

Enjolras gestured to his bookshelf. "The Shadowhunter books."

Mary's eyes went wide. "I didn't see that coming."

"Neither did I." He took a drink of water. "But don't get too excited. Just because we have something in common, it doesn't mean we're going to be best friends."

"Of course not," Mary said.

"And while you can say something to my grandma, please don't say anything to my parents. I really like my job. I don't need them demanding that I quit just because I'm working with the son of their rival. I'd be grounded and sent to Timbuktu."

Mary mimed zipping her lips. "You won't hear a peep out of me." She stood up from the couch to kiss the top of his curls. "I guess I'll leave you to do your homework. Enjoy your dinner. Just bring it downstairs when you're done."

Enjolras nodded, turning back to his reading and dinner.

***

Over the course of the next few weeks, Enjolras started to form a real friendship with Grantaire. They really only talked about their love for the books and trying to avoid personal details for the time being, but it was nice to be able to talk to each other about something and not work in dead silence all the time.

It was a silent agreement between them that their budding friendship needed to stay a secret. The only ones who knew were Adeline, Mary, and Lamarque. The first two found out by Enjolras's telling them and the later had found out when he had walked in on their discussion of what species was the best Downworlder. Adeline and Mary had tried to pry details out of him, but he refused to give them any. He did notice them share a look once, but he didn't try to read into it. When Lamarque had heard their discussion, he too had smiled to himself. He had seen the potential bond that could form between them on Enjolras's first day of work. He just hoped that he was right.

"I can't remember for sure, but you're going to the signing for the _Codex_ tomorrow, right?" Grantaire asked as he helped Enjolras restock shelves.

"I am. Are you?" Enjolras questioned.

"I sure am. I'm skipping school to go. The housekeeper of my family, Ella, is going to call the school, saying that I have a personal matter to deal with." Grantaire chuckled.

Enjolras joined in. "Adeline pulled a few strings to get me out of school. My parents were furious, but I've been pissing my parents off for as long as I can remember, so nothing new there."

"I'm sorry, Jules," Grantaire said.

Enjolras shrugged. "It's fine. I have Adeline and Mary, the housekeeper, there, so it's not that big of a deal."

"I take it your parents are absent then?" Grantaire inquired.

Enjolras glanced at him. "Do you really want to talk about this?"

Grantaire shrugged. "Why not? We're basically best friends at this point, we might as well share our family stories."

"I can't tell if you were being sarcastic or sincere," Enjolras teased.

"It was both," Grantaire replied.

Enjolras laughed. "Okay." He grabbed another pile of books to restock. "Umm...well I was mostly raised by Adeline. Once my mother and father were old enough to take over the family business, Adeline stepped down and took a backseat on family matters until my mother got pregnant with me. It was clear that my mother wasn't going to be a hands-on type of mother, so Adeline stepped in. I think my parents hold a grudge against her for that.

"And as I've grown up, I made it my mission to rebel against my parents, especially now that I'm a teenager. I've rejected the family business and the feud with your family. I want nothing to do with either. I got a job. I've read books they would rather I not read. Staged protests for the uniforms at school. Then, of course, the biggest one is the fact that I'm gay." Enjolras stopped right there, and looked away from Grantaire. He hadn't meant to come out to him, it just sort of happened. After he was able to cool his blushing, he looked back over at Grantaire, who was looking at him with concerned eyes. "Um...my being gay isn't a problem for you, is it?"

"Only if you don't have a problem with me being bisexual," Grantaire assured.

"I don't," Enjolras said. He ignored the way his palms started to sweat and he felt warmth grow in his heart. He also pushed away the reminder that they mirrored Alec and Magnus. Alec was his favorite character and was gay like him. Magnus was Grantaire's favorite and was also bisexual.

"So, I take it they have an issue with it?" Grantaire asked.

"Oh, yeah," Enjolras said. "When I came out, they basically said that they were cool with it as long as I didn't date anyone. My parents don't like anyone that is not white, cis, straight, etc. They are the definition of what is wrong with this country. Thankfully, my grandmother is a lot more laidback. She didn't care as long as I was happy." Enjolras turned to look at Grantaire. "My being gay is part of the reason why Alec is my favorite character. I had always felt different in regards to who I was attracted to, but I had never seen anyone else like me until Alec. I just had a deep connection with him."

"I understand that. I always knew that I was bi, so I never had to deal with coming to terms with it. I just always knew," Grantaire commented.

Enjolras ignored yet another parallel between the two characters and them. His insecurity — sometimes internalized homophobia when he was coming to terms with his sexuality — to becoming comfortable with it and not being afraid of was similar to Alec's experience. Grantaire had never felt insecure in his sexuality, just like Magnus.

"While my family looks tight-knit in public, it's me and my grandma vs. my parents behind closed doors. It's always been that way, and I don't foresee it changing anytime soon."

"How often are they home?"

"They're always home. They just live their lives in their office. Plotting to do whatever is needed to stay on top."

"I see."

Enjolras nodded. "So, what about yours?"

"Huh? I never agreed to tell you," Grantaire teased.

"Come on. Tit for tat. I told you mine, you tell me yours," Enjolras said.

Grantaire sighed. "Mine's a little different than yours. When they had me, my father wanted my mother to take a step back, so that she could be a mother. But I still wouldn't call my father absent. I still saw him a good few hours of the day and he always made time for me, I just spent more time with my mother. It's only been in recent years that it's changed. I'm not nearly as close to them as I used to be. The last time I can distinctly remember them telling me that they loved me was around my 12th birthday. I still receive presents around Christmas and my birthday, but I mostly only receive attention from them when I've acted out. Well, I can't really say for sure if they really care all that much about the rivalry anymore, I know that they spend a lot of time preoccupied with their charities and trying to help people in need. Which is something that I can't really fault them for, but it's like they care more about saving people than they do about their own son."

"You don't think people should try to save the world?"

"I didn't say that. I admire their work, I do, I just…" he trailed off. "I just don't think it will do any good. I mean, no matter how much you try to help those people, you can't take care of everyone. There will still be people who are hungry, living in poverty, and homelessness. Do I agree that a bit of kindness goes a long way? Sure, but I think that until the government or someone else can come up with a long-term solution for those people, nothing will ever change for them."

"I guess I can see that, but I also think that it's possible to really help them. Even if it's just a little bit. Like you said, a little bit of kindness does go a long way. I do agree, however, that someone has to come up with a long-term solution. I hope to be the one to come up with that solution."

Grantaire furrowed an eyebrow. "Ambitious, are you?"

"Very much so. I want to change the world some day, just like your parents, but I would do it in a way where I made sure that I had time for the people that I cared about."

"Well, I wish you luck, and I guess that if anyone can do it, it's you."

Enjolras turned beet red before turning the conversation back to Grantaire's parents. "If this is too personal, you don't have to answer, but do they have an issue with you being bisexual?"

"Um...well, that's slightly complicated because while they know, they don't really _know_ ," Grantaire said. Enjolras looked confused, so he elaborated. "When I came out, they were preoccupied. I had told them that I needed to talk to them, but as I talked they didn't really listen. So, when I said the words, 'I'm bisexual', they didn't really hear them and I'm not sure they registered. My mom just looked up at me and said, "'That's great, honey. But now, do you mind? We have to finish going through these papers.' Then, they shooed me away. Granted, I probably could have picked a better time, but I thought that they would spare their son five minutes. That was wishful thinking, apparently." He shrugged.

"When was this?"

"Beginning of last year."

"I'm sorry, Nic."

Grantaire shrugged again. "It is what it is. I guess it's safe to say we both come from sucky, or somewhat sucky, in my case, families."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Enjolras said.

They laughed for a few more minutes before getting back to their restocking of the shelves.

***

Enjolras was counting up the money while Grantaire stood by like he had to in order to make sure that nothing was stolen. After it was all counted up and they had clocked out, Grantaire offered to walk the cash register drawer to Lamarque's office. Enjolras was getting his red pea coat and bags out of his locker when he came back out.

"So, I guess I'll see you at the signing, but from far away since neither of us work tomorrow."

"Yes, you will," Enjolras replied. "I would like to be able to at least talk to you at the signing and see what you thought of it, but we both know that if we are caught within five feet of each other, the whole of New York City will have a field day, not to mention our parents won't just have a cow, they'll have the whole farmhouse."

Grantaire chuckled at the use of the obscene idiom. "Um...maybe we could talk about it through text."

"I'd like that," Enjolras said, pulling out his iPhone 5 and handing it to Grantaire to put in his number.

They quickly exchanged numbers. Enjolras was labeled in Grantaire's phone as "Apollo" and Grantaire in Enjolras's as "R". Once their numbers were exchanged, they walked to the door. Grantaire put the key in the door while Enjolras shut the lights off. They both walked out, and Grantaire closed the door, locking it.

Grantaire turned to Enjolras, with a smile before saying, "I know I won't be able to talk to you, but...um...I'll do my best to send like a small wave or something tomorrow."

"I will, too."

"Goodnight, Jules."

"Goodnight, Nic."

Grantaire turned around, walking off in the direction that he needed too. Enjolras did the same.

When Grantaire was a certain distance away, he turned back to glance at the retreating blond curls. After Grantaire turned back around to be facing the street, Enjolras turned around to glance at Grantaire's retreating figure. He sighed before turning back to face the street. His hands fell in the pockets of his jacket as he made his way home.

***

The next evening after getting home from the signing, Enjolras was sitting on his bed, going through the book, Angel in his lap when his phone buzzed.

It was Grantaire.

**_R (7:02 P.M.): Have you looked through it? What do you think?_ **

**_Enjolras (7:04 P.M.): It's what I expected it would be. I like that it's essentially the book Tessa reads in Clockwork Angel. It pisses me off, though, that when they talk about the Portal, Magnus isn't even mentioned. Without Magnus, Henry never would have been able to create it. Other than that, it's alright. I love the little comments from Jace, Clary, and Simon in the margins._ **

**_R (7:04 P.M.): Oh, yeah. That pissed me off, too. The comments are my favorite part, too. 😂_ **

**_R (7:04 P.M.): What did Cassie sign in yours?_ **

**_Enjolras (7:05 P.M.): She just wrote, "To Julien, Cassandra Clare". Just her standard which I'm totally cool with._ **

Grantaire sent back a whole slew of laughing emojis. It caused Enjolras to smile. But then another text was coming in from Grantaire.

**_R (7:07 P.M.): She basically wrote the same thing in mine except to "To Nic", not Julien._ **

Enjolras chuckled silently as he wrote his reply.

**_Enjolras (7:07 P.M.): Well, I figured that. 😂_ **

**_Enjolras (7:07 P.M.): I've been meaning to ask since we haven't talked about it. What are your theories for CoHF?_ **

**_R (7:10 P.M): Well, I'm fully expecting Sebastian to meet his end, which despite him being a favorite character of mine, I'm not upset about because that dude needs to die. I'm really rooting for Team Good to come out on top. I have high hopes in Cassie that they will. But my biggest hope is that Alec and Magnus get back together. Their breakup at the end of CoLS broke me. I have never cried more reading a book than what I did when I read that. I'm not ashamed to admit that. They're my OTP of OTPs._ **

**_Enjolras (7:13 P.M.): Same to all of that. The breakup broke me too. I also understand why it happened, though. Alec shouldn't have tried to take Magnus's immortality away from him and should have trusted him. But Magnus could have been more open about his past. I can see both their sides, but it still breaks my heart. If there's anything that I hope to see in future books, it's to see development on Alec's insecurity regarding this subject._ **

**_R (7:13 P.M.): I hope for that, too._ **

**_R (7:13 P.M.): Anyway, back to the theories. I'm not sure on who will all die cause you never know with Cassie. But I'm almost certain that no one is safe._ **

**_Enjolras (7:14 P.M.): As long as she leaves Team Good alone, I don't care who she murders. 😂_ **

They continued texting about the Shadowhunter novels until Grantaire changed the topic to asking how his day was other than seeing his favorite author.

**_Enjolras (7:38 P.M.): My day was good. I woke up to the sight of my cat in my face because that's her way of saying, "Feed me breakfast". Then, once Her Highness was fed, I went downstairs where my grandmother was waiting to take me out to lunch before we headed to the bookstore for the signing. That's been our tradition ever since I went to the signing for CP. My grandmother has never read the books, but she's always been my biggest supporter in my love for them. Then, we went to the signing. After the signing, we went out to have dinner at our favorite restaurant and didn't get home until about an hour ago. It was pretty much a grandmother/grandson day._ **

**_R (7:39 P.M.): Wait? You have a cat?_ **

**_Enjolras (7:40 P.M.): Yes. She's a Himalayan and her name is Angel. Why do you sound surprised that I have a cat?_ **

**_R (7:40 P.M.): Because you seem more of a dog person than a cat person._ **

**_Enjolras (7:40 P.M.): Nope. I'm a cat person. I treat Angel like she's my child because she is._ **

**_R (7:41 P.M.): That's adorable._ **

**_R (7:41 P.M.): You are clearly very close with your grandmother._ **

**_Enjolras (7:41 P.M.): I am. Other than Combeferre and Courfeyrac, my grandmother is my best friend._ **

**_R (7:42 P.M.): You're lucky. All my grandparents are dead._ **

**_Enjolras (7:46 P.M.): I'm sorry. If it makes you feel better, Adeline is the last living grandparent I have. I never knew my grandfather (Adeline and said grandfather are my father's parents) since he died before I was born. Hence, why my father had to take over the family business so soon. Then, I knew both of my mother's parents, but they moved back to Paris about two years ago, and died within two days of each other six months ago. They wanted to live out the rest of their years where they were both raised, fell in love, and had children._ **

**_R (7:47 P.M.): Nice. I love how both of us have this whole circle of friends from French families. Do you speak French?_ **

**_Enjolras (7:48 P.M.): Yes. It was the only language that my grandfather (mom's dad) could speak, mostly because that was all his parents could speak too. My grandmother (mom) could speak some English, but it was much easier to speak to them in French._ **

**_R (7:48 P.M.): What about Adeline?_ **

**_Enjolras (7:51 P.M.): She can speak it, too. But she's also fully fluent in English. Adeline's family moved from Paris when she was a child. She was 19 when she met my grandfather (who was 25 — let's remember that this was in the '20s-'30s), and she soon married into the Enjolras family. A family that was filled with fluent French and English speakers._ **

**_R (7:52 P.M.): Nice little Enjolras family history lesson, thank you for that._ **

**_Enjolras (7:52 P.M.): Thanks. What about you?_ **

**_R (7:53 P.M.): There's not much to say. It's basically the same story as yours. Father's grandparents moved here from France in the 1910s. They ended up being rivals of a certain family. A feud that my mother married into in 1984._ **

**_Enjolras (7:54 P.M.): And your mother's family?_ **

**_R (7:54 P.M.): Basically the same story. All of my family is fluent in both English and French._ **

**_Enjolras (7:55 P.M.): My goal is to one day read the Shadowhunter books in French, but I need to find them first. I'm not having very much luck with that._ **

**_R (7:55 P.M.): Oh, that's amazing. I have never thought of doing that. Now, you've given me ideas._ **

**_Enjolras (7:56 P.M.): Sorry?_ **

**_R (7:57 P.M.): Don't be. I'm just teasing._ **

**_R (7:58 P.M.): How do you feel about a little friendly game of 20 questions?_ **

**_Enjolras (7:59 P.M.): Sounds good to me. Any rules?_ **

**_R (8:00 P.M.): Just two. No asking the same question, and no asking questions about the Shadowhunter novels. This is about getting to know each other._ **

**_Enjolras (8:01 P.M.): All right. You go first._ **

For the next few hours, the two of them played a game of 20 questions through text messages. The questions that were asked had to do with their favorite things (movies, music, TV shows), where did they see themselves in five years, what was their chosen career, where or if they wanted to go to college (when the time came), and so many other questions.

Both of them were so deep in their conversation that neither noticed that it was after 1 A.M. until Enjolras looked at his clock and swore, but he didn't want this to end. He could talk to Grantaire for hours because the conversation was always insightful and it felt like he had known him for years, but he needed sleep.

**_Enjolras (1:04 A.M.): Um...I hate to cut this short, but it's...um past 1 A.M._ **

**_R (1:04 A.M.): Is it?! 😱_ **

**_Enjolras (1:05 A.M.): Yeah, it is. And I need sleep._ **

**_R (1:06 A.M.): Okay. We'll pick this up tomorrow. I'll see you at school (I'll try to wave hi), but I'll definitely talk to you at work. Goodnight, Jules._ **

**_Enjolras (1:06 A.M.): Goodnight, Nic._ **

Enjolras locked his phone, plugged it in, and set it down on his lamp table. He got ready for bed and brushed his teeth. He placed the book with the rest of his Shadowhunter collection. Then, he crawled under the covers. His mind still spinning from his conversation with Grantaire as he turned off the light. Angel climbed up on the bed to lay next to him.

When Enjolras fell asleep that night, he dreamed of dark curls and playful green eyes.

***

_November 2013_

Over the course of the next month, Enjolras and Grantaire grew closer than either one had expected. A day never went by without them talking, whether that be at work, through text message, or both. It was nice that since the soccer season was wrapping up, they got more time to work together, at least until the lacrosse season started in the spring. They enjoyed their conversations, and they felt like they didn't have to be someone that they weren't when they were with each other.

Enjolras was working on dusting the shelves as he explained to Grantaire a little bit of his issues with mental health. "Over the years, I've struggled with anxiety and insecurity, especially in middle school when all my friends went to a different school than I did, so I felt lonely during that time. It didn't help that I was bullied during that same time, and that's actually why my grandma bought me _City of Bones_ in the first place. She wanted to cheer me up and that's what worked. Then, when my friends and I started attending Montgomery, I went through a phase of where I thought they weren't really my friends, which I knew wasn't true, but it's what my brain tricked me to believe for the first few months of 9th grade. My anxiety still affects me, but it's not nearly as crippling as it was during those few months."

"Were your parents all that supportive?" Enjolras gave him an unimpressed look. "I take that as a no. I'm sorry to hear that, Jules. I really am."

"It's fine," Enjolras assured him. "What about you? Any mental health issues you want to share because this is an open space with no judgment?"

Grantaire let out a small laugh. He was busy with cleaning up the nook area by washing the tables and chairs. "I was diagnosed with depression when I was in 7th grade. It was actually my parents that saw the signs first and they wanted me to get tested and treatment. And it was because of that that I started participating in sports like soccer and lacrosse. It was something that allowed me to feel good about myself and boosted my mood. Music and art has done the same thing. It's because of that that I'm afraid of telling my parents that I don't want to take over the family business. I'd rather pursue music or dabble in other things until I find my fit."

"For music, do you want to write your own songs or sing covers?"

"I want to write my own songs, and I've already created a few. I find that I can be better with words if they're said in a pretty way."

"Would you ever create a song for me?" Enjolras asked shyly. He was very careful not to look over at Grantaire, so that he didn't see the rose color that appeared on his cheeks. 

The corners of Grantaire's mouth turned up, then said, teasingly, "I might. We'll just have to see how long I want to be your friend." Enjolras scoffed, but then he laughed, as he threw the rag he was using at his friend. "I'm kidding." He threw the rag back at his friend, so he could continue his cleaning.

"But getting back to what you said about the family business, I think you should just go ahead and tell them. I mean, you've really only told me a little about your relationship with your parents, how you were close, then you weren't, but maybe they'd be more understanding than you think? It's worth a try."

"I probably will. I just kind of want to catch them at a time when they're not preoccupied like I did when I came out."

"Yeah, I fully get that," Enjolras said as he dusted another shield. "I also understand the pressures of taking over the family business because my father is adamant about me following in his footsteps by going to Dartmouth and all those kinds of things. But I've always been interested in going to college outside of the United States. It's just something that I've always wanted to do, and specifically in England, but I don't know where, yet."

"Like you told me, if you want it, I say go for it."

"Yeah, I know. But I don't think that my parents would be nearly as understanding as yours might."

Grantaire weighed that before agreeing with him. "Like I've said like 20 times already, family sucks."

Enjolras joined in his laughter. They worked their tasks in silence for a few moments until Enjolras brought up the next topic.

"So, tell me about your friends, and I mean all of them."

"Well, I've known Joly and Bossuet since pre-school. The three of us being friends wasn't a shock to our parents because all of our parents are close friends too. Joly loves helping people and he dreams of becoming a doctor. He's very much a hypochondriac, though. He's wary of everything, even if it's a simple sneeze. It's nowhere near as bad as it was when we kids, but it can get bad during the winter months. I just love him so much. Bossuet is incredibly lovable too, but he also is one of the unluckiest people that I know. So, for his birthday last year, I gave him a black rope bracelet with a four leaf clover charm that he wears all the time. I'm glad that he's on the soccer team with me, too. It makes the long bus rides to away games a lot more fun.

"Then, Jehan, I met in fourth grade and within five minutes we knew that we'd be friends forever. Jehan is just the fucking sweetest, but you have to watch out because he isn't afraid to call you out if you're rude to his friends or just being an asshole in general. Musichetta, I've known since sixth grade. She's the greatest woman I've ever met and she keeps my entire friend group sane. Without her, we'd be lost. And I wouldn't be at all surprised if one day, she ends up with Joly or Bossuet or maybe even both because let me tell you the way the three of them look at each other, it's fucking ridiculous. Finally, I met Bahorel and Éponine in seventh grade. Éponine is the one you can just tell anything to and she'll tell you whether you're being an idiot or not, but she'll always have your back. She's probably the strongest person I know after the shit her parents have put her and her siblings through. I'm sure you've heard of the drama that's happened in the Thénardier family. Her older sister, Azelma, is working to get Ép and their brother, Gavroche, emancipated. Finally, Bahorel tries to be scary and all tough, but he's really just a giant teddy bear. He only gets to be scary if you've pissed him off and trust me, you don't want to feel that wrath. All my friends are the greatest, and I don't know where I'd be without them. And what about you?"

"Um...I'm similar in regards to your friendship with Joly and Bossuet. I've known Combeferre and Courfeyrac since we were toddlers. It's always kind of been like I'm the leader, which I hate being described as, but can't think of a better way to describe it. Then, 'Ferre keeps us grounded and Courf is the glue. Like I love those two with all my heart and I know that I wouldn't be half of what I am without them. Then, Marius joined the group by way of Courf when we were in fourth grade. He tends to be quiet when around 'Ferre because I think he's intimidated by him, which I totally understand because I think if I didn't know 'Ferre the way I do, I'd be intimated too. But Marius is a fine man, I really don't have any issues with him. Of course, I've known Cosette a long time too since Valjean is a family friend. She's like my little sister and I'm very close with her too. I'm so glad to have her in my life. Then, Feuilly, I've only known since last year, but I greatly admire him and he's wonderful."

"Feuilly is a senior, right?"

"Yep. It'll be sad to lose him this year, but that's just what happens."

"Has he figured out if he'll go to college and where?"

"Not yet. He's looking at NYU, but he hopes to get in on some kind of scholarship."

Grantaire noticed the smile on Enjolras's face as he talked about his friends and because of it, his own small smile appeared. It caused a need to know the answer to his next question.

"So, any crushes or romantic relationships or anything?"

Enjolras froze at the question, taking a second to process it, then he said, "Um...no. I did have a crush on Feuilly last year, but I've gotten over that. Other than that, no one has really caught my eye." _Until now_ , a part of his brain said, but he pushed it away. "What about you?"

"I had a boyfriend at the beginning of the year and I liked him, but that was it. We broke up in June. Like you, no one has really caught my attention, either." _But there might be someone,_ his brain supplied, but Grantaire did his best to ignore it.

***

_December 2013_

A few weeks later they got out for holiday break giving them more work hours and more time to spend together and their friendship to grow.

But as the days went on, Grantaire started to feel something grow in his belly. Something warm whenever he was around Enjolras. Something that made him nervous when Enjolras smiled at him. Something that when he saw him walk into school, his heart started to beat faster. Something that when he received a text from him, his heart leapt. Something that when they were working and if Enjolras just grazed his hand gently, Grantaire would start sweating. Something that caused him to not be able to stop thinking about the blond haired, blue eyed man, and was the cause for every sleepless night that he had lately. The reason for why there were multiple drawings in his sketchbook that resembled Enjolras, but Grantaire told himself that they weren't, as well as why every song that he tried to write, always had him waxing poetry about golden curls, ocean blue eyes, or a smile so dazzling that it made Grantaire's heart melt.

Grantaire had a sneaking suspicion what these feelings were and what was happening, but he didn't want to say it. He knew that he was attracted to the man, but going a step further to actually naming his feelings was too much for him.

But that night as he sat at his desk, on his computer, frantically searching for French editions of _The Mortal Instruments_ to give to Enjolras as a very late birthday and Christmas presents, there was no reason to deny it any longer. He knew exactly why he was doing it.

He was falling in love with the son of his family's rival, and it was something that he refused to be ashamed of. Love was love. No matter race, gender, sexuality, or in this case, family.

Of course, he had no idea if Enjolras felt anything for him. It was clear that Enjolras enjoyed spending time with him and considered him a friend, but how deep those feelings of friendship went he didn't know.

So, in order to protect his heart, Grantaire wasn't going to say anything. He just couldn't do that to himself. But one thing was for sure, he would follow Enjolras anywhere. Despite being only 15, that was something that he knew without any doubt in his mind.

Now that he had admitted his feelings to himself, it made it a little harder to work with the blond because all he wanted to do was back the blond into a bookshelf and kiss him senseless.

Grantaire watched from the counter as Enjolras helped a customer find a book in the adult fantasy section. The way Enjolras talked about, not just the Shadowhunter books, but any book made Grantaire's heart flutter. His face lit up as he described what it felt like being pulled into the world inside the book. You could tell that Enjolras treated books like they were his friends, and it made Grantaire love him more.

He was so distracted by watching Enjolras that he didn't notice a customer had walked up to the counter to check out until they snapped their fingers in front of his face to get his attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was lost in thought," Grantaire apologized. He took the book that the woman had set on the counter. "Just this for you today?"

Two minutes later, Grantaire was handing the customer a small drawstring bag with her book, a bookmark, and two coupons, one for 15% off their next purchase and the second was for a free cookie with any drink purchased in the café. Grantaire threw in the café coupon as another apology for his lack of attention when the customer first walked up. The customer left just as Lamarque was walking in. Grantaire's attention was immediately taken by his boss. Lamarque had envelopes in his hand.

 _Oh, right. Pay day. I completely forgot,_ Grantaire thought.

Lamarque walked to the counter, looking through the small stack of envelopes for Grantaire's. "Here you go. Put it towards something nice."

Grantaire smiled. "Thanks. I know just what I am using this for."

"And what is that, if you don't mind me asking?" Lamarque asked.

"Umm...it's a surprise for someone special." Grantaire blushed bright red.

"Does this special someone have blond curls and blue eyes?" Lamarque questioned.

Grantaire froze. He made a quick glance towards Enjolras to make sure he hadn't heard. Thankfully, Enjolras was still helping the same customer that he had been helping for the last 15 minutes. He looked back at Lamarque. "How did you know?"

Lamarque snorted. "I've spent enough time with both of you since he started working here to watch the friendship between you two grow. Plus, I could see the potential of a bond between you two his first day here. It was no surprise to me when I saw that you started looking at him differently."

"Do you think he knows?" Grantaire asked.

Lamarque shrugged. "He might, but I don't know." Grantaire sighed. "Just know that I fully support it, if you do decide to pursue something with him, because I think you two are a good match. Plus, maybe it will bring the goddamn, annoying as hell, rivalry between your families to an end."

Grantaire chuckled softly. "Maybe."

Lamarque smiled. "Well, I'm going to leave Julien's here and put the rest in the mailboxes. I'll be in my office after that, in case you need me."

Grantaire nodded. Lamarque quickly put the checks away, leaving Enjolras's on the counter, then disappeared back to his office. When Enjolras came with his customer, who had a stack of five books, Grantaire moved away from the register to allow Enjolras be the one to ring them up. After the customer left, Enjolras turned to look at Grantaire, who was watching him with a small smile on his face.

"What?" Enjolras asked.

"Nothing." Grantaire walked to the counter. He handed him the envelope. "Your check, monsieur."

"Thank you." Enjolras took the check from him, but Grantaire stayed staring at him. "Okay, what is wrong? Do I have something in my teeth?"

"No. Nothing's wrong," Grantaire assured, but Enjolras still looked like he didn't believe him.

From there, they went back to work.

***

_January 2014_

Christmas came and went, and they were back in school after holiday break. Grantaire had now found _City of Bones_ and _City of Ashes_ in French. They were bought and had been shipped. He was waiting on word for _City of Glass_ from the seller. But he was having trouble finding _City of Fallen Angels_ and _City of Lost Souls_. He hoped to find the other two soon. Grantaire's last resort was to fly to France himself and search all over the bookstore for them. He would find Enjolras his French editions of these novels, even if it took him until the end of time.

To Grantaire's knowledge Enjolras had yet to catch on to his feelings which made him both sad and happy. He didn't know what he would if Enjolras found out and rejected him. The blond was like no one he had ever met before and what he felt for him was a feeling that he never wanted to go away. He would keep his feelings for Enjolras a secret forever, if it meant keeping him in his life.

But little did Grantaire know that Enjolras was fully aware of Grantaire's feelings for he had seen the way that he looked at him, and it absolutely terrified him, especially when his own feelings for Grantaire had changed.

The dark curly haired, green eyed man had totally captured his heart, and Enjolras was starting to fall in love with him.

Grantaire made him feel safe and happy. He listened to him. Debated with him about their ideas for how the world should be. Honestly, just talking to him was the best part of his day. No, scratch that. Just seeing him was the best part of his day.

It just hurt knowing that if anything ever happened between them, no one would ever accept it simply because of what their names were. His parents would be livid if they ever found out that it was Nicolas Grantaire that he was falling in love with. Of course, there was also the added factor of them never accepting his sexuality. Granted, he had lived under the disapproval of his parents for years, so if he was honest he didn't really care what they thought. The one reaction that he was worried about was Adeline. Sure, she knew that they were friends, but that was entirely different than being in love with him. He had absolutely no idea what she would think. His gut told him that she would be shocked at first, but then came around. His friends were also another group that he had absolutely no idea what their reactions would be and he didn't even try to guess.

He tried not to overthink it, though, because Grantaire understood him in a way that no one ever did before. They had more in common than what Enjolras had originally thought. They both had the same reading tastes. Their family situations were similar. They both hated the rivalry between their families. And that was just the tip of the iceberg for things that they had in common.

As he filled online orders, Enjolras found himself watching Grantaire as he helped a customer find a book that she wanted, but when he got closer, Enjolras discovered that Grantaire wasn't speaking English, or even French. He was speaking Spanish.

 _He told me that he only spoke English and French,_ Enjolras thought.

Enjolras listened to the conversation a little while longer, unable to understand a word that was being said, but it still intrigued him. He had always thought that Spanish was a beautiful language. Even more beautiful than French, but that could also be because it was Grantaire speaking it.

Grantaire finished up with the customer, guiding her back to the register. He glanced up at Enjolras, smiling. As he rang up the women, Grantaire continued to speak to her in Spanish.

After the women left, Enjolras approached the counter. "I didn't know you could speak Spanish."

"Yeah," Grantaire said. "Mostly because of my mom. My mom's family was from Spain, then they moved to France. When my great-grandmother met my great-grandfather in France, who was a full-blooded Frenchman, they moved to the U.S. They learned each other's language as a surprise. Both of them could speak English, but it was easier to speak to them in either French of Spanish, so my grandmother grew up knowing French, English, and Spanish, mostly talking to her parents in French or Spanish, same with my mother. When my mother met my dad, another full-blooded Frenchman, they made sure that I knew all three languages, so…"

"I see," Enjolras said. "I take it the woman only spoke Spanish."

Grantaire nodded. "She spoke some English, but I could tell it was easier for her to hold a conversation in Spanish."

"Will you say something in Spanish for me?"

 _"Está vida es mía, pero este corazón es suyo. Está sonrisa es mía, pero la razón eres tú,"_ Grantaire said, looking Enjolras in the eye. _(This life is mine, but this heart is yours. This smile is mine, but the reason is you.)_

"What does that mean?"

Grantaire glanced at Enjolras, then back at the register and casually lied. Lying about what he said was easier than admitting to the blond man that he had feelings for him. "I just repeated the background of my family in Spanish, so you had heard it already."

"Oh, okay," Enjolras said, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Grantaire was lying through his teeth. "Well, thank you for indulging me."

"Anytime."

Enjolras turned away to go look through the shelves to see if any of them needed restocking. Grantaire stared after him, willing his heartbeat to slow at the thought of almost being caught in his feelings.

***

When Enjolras got home that night, though, he was not in a very pleasant mood. That was obvious when he slammed the door shut, getting the attention of Adeline and Mary, and scaring Angel enough that she scurried under a piece of furniture. Enjolras didn't even stop to say hello to his grandmother or the housekeeper, and went straight for his bedroom. Angel followed after him. Mary and Adeline stared after him before glancing at each other. Adeline followed Mary into the kitchen to get a try of food for him, knowing that she was the only one that could talk to Enjolras when he was in this state.

Enjolras walked to the couch that was in the middle of his bedroom, setting his bags on it before flopping onto his bed and groaned into the pillow. Angel had gone to her cat tree.

Enjolras was still face down in the pillows when there was a knock on the door. He rolled over and said, in an annoyed voice, "What?"

Adeline opened the door with a tray in her hand. She walked into the room, and set the tray on his desk before coming to sit on the bed. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Enjolras said coldly.

Adeline looked at her grandson with disbelief evident in her eyes. "It's me, Jules. Talk to me."

 _I can't. I can't and that's the problem,_ Enjolras thought. He glanced at his grandma, who was waiting patiently for him to talk to her. But he didn't say anything.

"What's going on?" Adeline asked.

 _What's going on is that I'm falling in love with Nicolas Grantaire, and I have no one to talk to about it with. Except the man himself,_ Enjolras thought.

"It's just teenage stuff," Enjolras lied.

"I don't believe you. Is it Nicolas? Did he say something? You haven't come home this upset since before you started to form a friendship with him,"

 _It's Nicolas Grantaire all right, but not because of_ that, Enjolras thought.

"I...just don't know how to talk about it. I don't want you getting upset with me." Enjolras felt tears start to prick.

"Upset with you?" Adeline questioned. "If it's about Nicolas and your friendship with him, I would never be upset unless he did something to hurt you."

"That's good to know, but right now, I'm not ready to talk. Maybe soon."

"Okay. Just know that I'm here, if you ever do decide that you do want to talk," Adeline said. "Mary made chicken quesadillas, so eat."

"Thanks," Enjolras said.

Adeline stood up, walking out of the bedroom. Enjolras watched her leave before getting the tray of food. He quickly ate before doing his homework. He needed something that would distract him from the thoughts of Grantaire that swirled in his mind, but of course when he laid down to sleep that night his dreams were once again plagued by the sight of a boy with dark hair and beautiful jade eyes causing his sleep to be restless.

***

For a week, their interactions felt like they were stinted and short, like for some reason unknown to the other, they didn't know how to act around each other. It almost felt like they were back in the beginning of working together. Lamarque witnessed the awkwardness happen, but decided that he wouldn't interfere unless he felt it was absolutely necessary.

That is until January 27th, Enjolras was taking his break and working on homework while he ate. It was a slow day again, so Grantaire was scrolling through Twitter on his phone when he saw it and couldn't believe that he missed it.

He immediately ran out from behind the counter to the table where Enjolras was sitting, yelling, "Jules, did you see it?"

"See what?" Enjolras asked, looking up as Grantaire sat down.

"They released the cover of _City of Heavenly Fire_ , and I somehow missed it. Did you see it?" Grantaire held out his phone for Enjolras to see.

Enjolras took the phone to look at the cover. It featured Clary in a white dress with a dagger in her hand with her back facing the camera with her fire red hair all around her. Then, Sebastian was in black shadow with black wings and a sword peeking out from his back and he was facing the camera. They were standing in what looked to be a wasteland desert. At the bottom was the title and author name in fire going in all different directions.

"I hadn't seen it either, but I absolutely love it. I don't know how I didn't see it. Although I have been a bit busy lately. Makes me even more excited for the book." Enjolras handed the phone back.

"Cassie also confirmed in an interview that six people will die. We already concluded that Sebastian is probably one, but who else do you think it will?" Grantaire asked.

"I still don't know, but now that she's given a count, I'm terrified," Enjolras said.

Grantaire chuckled as he put his phone back in his pocket. He glanced at the homework that Enjolras was doing. It was history.

"I have a test tomorrow, so I need to study," Enjolras replied, looking down at his textbook and notebook.

"Want me to help you study?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras glanced at him before handing him the study guide that the teacher had given the class that contained a list of the vocabulary definitions and anything else that they should know. Enjolras had already filled it out, but he found that he usually did better on tests if he studied his notes for everything that wasn't the vocab.

"Just ask about the vocab. I have a system for the rest," Enjolras said.

"Okay." Grantaire took the study guide and started to ask Enjolras questions.

For the rest of Enjolras's break, and through Grantaire's since they weren't busy, Grantaire helped Enjolras study. After a while, Grantaire finished going through the vocabulary and handed the study guide back to him.

"Well, I think you're ready for your rest. Which teacher is it?" Grantaire asked.

"Valjean," Enjolras replied.

Valjean was a kind and caring teacher to his students, and was pretty laid back. If you didn't understand something, he worked with you privately until you understood it. Valjean was also someone that if you were having a problem you could go to him with anything, it didn't matter if it was academic or personal, and he would do his best to help.

"Ah, nice." Grantaire smiled.

"Don't you have him for anything?" Enjolras asked.

"Yes," Grantaire answered, "but my schedule is the complete opposite of yours. Where you have him for the fourth period, I don't have him until eighth. The joys of having such a large class."

Silence fell around them for a while, neither of them really knowing how to continue the conversation. Enjolras began packing up his textbooks, but something was bothering him about how he and Grantaire had been acting around each other for the last few days, so he decided to talk to Grantaire about it.

"Nic?" he said right at the same time that Grantaire said, "Jules?"

They both laughed before Enjolras allowed Grantaire to go first, but he couldn't find the right words that he needed to say, so instead he thought, _Oh, fuck it!_

Grantaire leaned forward without a second thought to press his lips against Enjolras's. It took Enjolras by surprise for a second until he realized what was happening. He felt Grantaire start to pull away, so Enjolras hastily started to kiss him back. His hand tangled in Grantaire's dark curls as he felt his friend cup his face. 

The kiss started out as a soft press of lips against each other, but as it grew in fervor, it grew harder. Grantaire's tongue swiped across Enjolras's bottom lip, and Enjolras gave him entry, allowing their tongues to meet and explore each other's mouths. Enjolras kissed like he did everything else, with a fiery passion and determination, and it made Grantaire want to get drunk on his kisses.

For Enjolras, kissing Grantaire was better than he could have imagined, and he had imagined it quite a bit since he had realized his feelings. Grantaire clearly had experience in kissing, making Enjolras excited to continue learning his mouth — wait, he couldn't continue doing this. Kissing Grantaire was something that he could never do again, no matter how badly he wanted to.

That realization brought Enjolras back to his senses. He roughly pulled away from Grantaire. He pointedly avoided looking at him as he stumbled over an apology. "I'm...I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"I'm not," Grantaire replied.

Enjolras chanced a look at him, only to see a smile on Grantaire's face. His lips swollen and red, a bright blush dusting his cheeks. Enjolras had to look away again because that was too much.

"It can't happen again," Enjolras said.

"Why not?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras grabbed his bag and said, "It just can't."

He quickly walked away from the table quickly, so that Grantaire couldn't see the way that his own heart broke and eyes filled with tears at those three little words. Grantaire stared after him, but didn't say anything, knowing that the main reason why Enjolras pulled away was because of what their last names were.

For the rest of their shifts, Enjolras avoided him like he was the plague. When he did have to be near him, he avoided eye contact, but he would blush all the way to his ears.

***

When it came time to close up the store and the money was counted up, Enjolras ran out of the store as quickly as his feet could carry him. Grantaire stared after him, confused and heartbroken. Enjolras could feel wetness on his cheeks as he ran down the street towards his bus stop.

Enjolras didn't even stop to grab food or say "hi" to anybody when he arrived home. He locked himself in his room to finish studying for the test. There was knocking at the door, but he ignored it. Enjolras didn't want to talk. He wasn't ready to talk to anyone, despite wanting to desperately talk to Adeline, but his fear of her reaction kept getting in the way.

At that moment, he just wanted to finish studying, take a shower, and go to bed. The knocking had stopped within 20 minutes of him being home, so he went to unlock his door before crawling into bed. He laid there, petting Angel for a few minutes before she moved to the foot of the bed, where she usually laid at night.

Enjolras did his best to push the kiss from his memory, but it wasn't working as he stared up at the ceiling. He brought his fingers up to his mouth and touched his lips. He couldn't stop thinking about the way Grantaire's lips moved against his. His lips had been soft and smooth as they pressed against his in desperate and charged movements. The kiss had already been euphoric for Enjolras, but when he had opened his mouth and Grantaire had snuck his tongue inside and their tongues had touched, Enjolras had felt like he was ascending into heaven.

Kissing Grantaire was exactly what he had thought it would be. Glorious and beautiful all at the same time. It made Enjolras want more. But he could never have more. They could never be together. It was an impossible hope.

Enjolras was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his phone buzzing. He grabbed it from the nightstand to open the text. The words that he read made his heart sing and twist at the same time.

**_R (11:46 P.M.): I'm not sorry._ **

Enjolras pressed the lock button on his phone without even closing out the message. He set his phone back down on the nightstand, pulling the covers over his head as tears started.

***

A day later, the awkward tension between them was palpable. Grantaire wanted to talk to Enjolras about what had happened, but Enjolras wasn't giving him the time of day. He was still avoiding him.

Enjolras's friends and family, mostly Adeline and Mary, had started to pick up that something was wrong. Both of whom had a strong suspicion about who was the cause of his mood, but Enjolras just continued to tell them that everything was fine.

"I can't talk to you about it."

"Why not?"

Enjolras refused to look at her. "Because I'm scared."

"Scared of what, Jules?"

"What you will think of me after you hear it? What your reaction will be?"

"Sweetheart, I love you. There's nothing that you could ever tell me that would ever change that." Adeline sat down on the bed, taking her grandson's face in her hands. "You can tell me anything, you know that."

"I know, but I...what I've done is something that some people will deem unforgivable."

"What you've done?" Adeline questioned. "Jules, you aren't in any trouble are you?"

"No, it's nothing like that." Enjolras started to play with one of the threads on the comforter on his bed. "I've fallen in love, Grandma."

Adeline smiled, squeezing his hand. "What's so bad about that?"

"It's not. It's who I've fallen in love with." He closed his eyes, so that he didn't have to see her face when realization dawned on her.

Adeline's eyes went wide and she dropped his hands. "Nicolas. You've fallen in love with Nicolas."

A tear slipped from his eye, but he didn't say anything only nodded. Adeline continued to gape at him. She and Mary had seen it coming since the two 16-year-olds had become friends, but to have it confirmed so soon was a shock. It broke her heart when she noticed that her grandson refused to look at her and even more so, when she realized that he had been terrified of telling her out of fear of her reaction. She reached for his hands and squeezed them.

"Jules, honey, look at me." Enjolras's eyes were wet and rimmed with red when he finally looked at her. She wiped a tear away before hugging him tightly and just letting him cry for as long as he needed to. When he finally stopped, he stayed in her arms as she spoke up, "Sweetheart, I'm going to be completely honest with you, Mary and I saw it coming from the moment you mentioned that you two were becoming friends. Sure, it's a little bit of shock because I wasn't expecting it this soon, but I'm happy for you. I've already told you what I thought of the young man."

"I know, Grandma, but what about the rivalry? My parents. They'll never accept that he's the man I love. They've never accepted anything about me. And my friends would never understand it either."

She combed his curls out with her fingers. "Now, I think you should give your friends a little bit more credit. They might surprise you. As for your parents, they need to realize the more that they push you, they'll eventually lose you."

"I just know that a relationship with him would never work and it breaks my heart because I want to be with him, but I can't."

"You'll find a way. I'm sure of it," Adeline said. "And you don't have to worry about me or Mary saying anything to your parents. Your secret is safe with us. And if a relationship does happen, we'll do everything to make sure it lasts."

Enjolras hugged her again, whispering to her his thanks.

"I'll have you tell me how it happened at a later date, but right now I want you to get some sleep, you're clearly tuckered out. I promise that everything will work out in the end between you and Nicolas." She kissed his forehead as she tucked him in.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know you. You go after the things you want, even if it's an uphill battle." That caused Enjolras to smile which is what Adeline was going for. "Goodnight, Jules." Adeline turned out the light, walking to the door.

"Goodnight, Grandma," he replied.

As he settled down and tried to sleep, Enjolras decided that he would talk to Grantaire about the kiss and what it meant for their friendship now at work the next day.

But talking to him about it proved difficult because anytime that Enjolras approached Grantaire, one of them was pulled away to help a customer. They both finally got a break, but the moment that Enjolras was going to open his mouth to start speaking, the bell rang and he saw Bahorel, Éponine, and Jehan walk into the store. He closed his mouth and went to go busy himself with the bookshelves to not cause any issues.

Bahorel walked up to Grantaire. "Dude, why don't you bail and come out with us?"

"Because as I've said many times, I enjoy my job and I want my own money. I don't want to rely on my parents," Grantaire said. "And I can't leave my coworker."

"Oh, please," Éponine said, "just go to Lamarque's office and tell him you're not feeling well. He'll call in someone else. Just please come out with us. We haven't seen you in forever because you're always working."

"Because I like working," Grantaire insisted.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Éponine snorted. "Working with the asshole son of the Enjolras family is totally something that you can enjoy while working."

Grantaire had to bite his tongue from saying something he'd later regret. Instead, he said, with finality in his voice. "Guys, I really can't go. You know that."

Bahorel and Éponine held their hands up in surrender. Bahorel looked around for Jehan.

"Where's Jehan?" Bahorel asked.

"Probably looking at the poetry," Éponine replied.

The three of them chuckled, and none were surprised when Jehan came out from the poetry section with a stack of books under his arm. He walked to the counter to have Grantaire check him out.

As Grantaire checked Jehan out, all he could hear from his friends were jokes about how painful and annoying it must be to work with Julien Enjolras. It took everything in him to keep his tongue bit, so that he didn't say anything that would give away his feelings for the blond man. Every once in a while, he would see Enjolras appear from his hiding spot in the science fiction section, but he refused to make eye contact with him.

Once his friends left the store, Enjolras came out from his hiding spot. He walked to the computer to continue filling out online orders that he was working on.

"Jules, about the things that they said—" Grantaire started.

"Nope. It's fine. I have tough skin and it's nothing that I haven't heard before. It just reiterated what I already knew and proved that what my grandmother told me last night was wrong." Enjolras still refused to look at him

"And what is that?"

Enjolras rolled his eyes. "That everything would work out between us, but I think it's just gotten clearer that it won't. That kiss never should have happened."

"You don't believe that. I know you don't," Grantaire said.

"Yes, I do." Enjolras finally looked at him. "Because it will never work. Your friends' comments are proof of that."

"Well, I don't care," Grantaire replied. "What I do with my life is none of my friends' business."

"And what about your parents?" Enjolras asked. He watched as Grantaire's eyes shifted to the counter and his face grew sad. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Enjolras finished looking up the next order he had to fill. He grabbed a box before going to grab the books for the order. But as he walked by Grantaire, his elbow was caught by him.

"I don't care about what my parents think. I haven't since I was 12," Grantaire said. Then he let go of Enjolras. "But clearly you care what your parents say despite the fact that they don't even accept that you're gay, so why the fuck does their opinion matter?"

Enjolras turned to glare at him. "I don't give a shit about what my parents say. You just don't get it." He turned to go find the books.

"Then, explain it to me. Make me understand. Don't just walk away from me!" Grantaire exclaimed.

"No one would ever accept it! Our parents! Our friends! Society! The only people who would are Lamarque, my grandmother, and my housekeeper! You can't tell me that wouldn't be devastating to you. Being with someone that you care about, but everyone is telling you something different!" Enjolras screamed.

"I wouldn't care what they would say as long as I was able to be with you!"

Enjolras frowned. "But could you handle keeping it secret? Living a lie? Sneaking around? Making sure you have a story straight, so that no one catches on to the lies? Not being able to hold that person's hand in public? Could you handle that? I know I couldn't."

"If keeping it a secret meant that I could be with you, _I wouldn't care_! I want to be with _you_! I care about _you_! Not what other people would say."

"I can't do it. I won't," Enjolras whispered, turning back to finish what he started.

"So what do we do? Just forget about it! Forget about our feelings for each other. Forget about that kiss. Because I can't do that, Julien!"

"Well, you're going to have to try because as much as I want to be with you too, I've already begun to accept that I'll never have you. It's impossible!"

"It's not impossible," Grantaire's voice cracked.

"Yes, Nicolas, it is, and in time you'll see that," Enjolras's voice broke, desperate to keep the tears that threatened to fall back.

Enjolras once again set off to finish his task. Grantaire didn't say another word as he watched Enjolras get back to work. 

For the rest of their shift, neither of them said anything. Both of them brewing in disappointment, anger, heartbreak, and sadness.

Neither of them realized that Lamarque heard the whole thing from his office.

***

After their argument they barely talked to each other, if they did, it was usually about work and not much else. It was something that both hated, but neither knew how to fix it. Not wanting to see two people who cared about each other grow to resent each other, Lamarque felt a need to try and bridge the gap between them.

That Friday, while they were working, Enjolras was working the register while Grantaire was helping customers and restocking shelves. But it was once again a slow day, so Enjolras was reading _Clockwork Princess_ during his free time. Lamarque walked up to the register counter with Enjolras's paycheck in his hand.

"Here you go, Jules," Lamarque said.

"Thanks." Enjolras took the envelope and put it in his locker. He glanced at Grantaire, who was restocking shelves in the children's book section.

"So, what happened the other day?" Lamarque questioned.

Enjolras quickly turned back to his book and mumbled, "Nothing."

"Jules, I heard the entire thing," Lamarque said.

"Then, why are you asking me what happened if you heard every word?"

"Because I wanted to hear it from my godson, so what happened?"

"A few days ago, we kissed, and well, I pulled away and told him that it could never happen again. So, the other day, his friends were here and there were saying things and I told him that it was just a taste of what other people would say and we can never be together because of it. I...I just worry we'd never be able to make it work, not while we have to keep it a secret."

"Jules, that doesn't matter. The only thing that does is your feelings for each other. If you care about him, hell maybe you even love him, why should anything else matter? You'd find a way to make it work."

Enjolras turned toward his book to glance down at it. Lamarque sighed before getting an idea.

"Let me tell you a story," Lamarque said. "When I was 18, I fell in love with a boy, too. At the time, I knew that I would never love anyone as much as I loved him. I thought that our parents would accept us, but I should have known better. It was in the '80s, smack dab in the middle of the AIDs crisis. Our parents were terrified of us. My parents soon came around, but his parents carted him off to a correctional facility, and I never saw him again. He died after contracting AIDs while in the facility. I was devastated. Other than my wife, he's the only other person that I've ever truly loved."

"I'm so sorry."

"I've made peace with the pain, but it's still hard to talk about," Lamarque said. "I think the part that makes it hurt the most is that we wanted to run away together, but instead of doing what we wanted, I convinced him to tell our parents, which resulted in the death of the boy I loved. The point is we let someone else's prejudice get in the way of what we wanted. You may be wondering what this has to do with you and Nic, but my point is that love is love, Julien. Regardless of race, gender, and specifically in your case, family. If no one will accept that you love him, Jules, that's their problem, not yours."

"But keeping it a secret?" Enjolras asked.

"Yeah, that's going to be hard, but it's a small price to pay to just call him yours, isn't it?" Lamarque questioned. "What I'm trying to say, Jules, is that if you let others, especially your parents, dictate your life, you'll never be happy." Enjolras looked at him, but didn't say anything. "Just think about it."

Enjolras nodded. Lamarque squeezed his shoulder before walking away to give Grantaire his check. Enjolras watched Grantaire smile as he had a short conversation with Lamarque. He felt his own smile appear at the sight of Grantaire's, but when he glanced over at him, Enjolras quickly turned back to his book. Grantaire's face fell when he saw Enjolras look away from him.

After Lamarque finished putting the checks in the lockers, he decided to take his leave, leaving the bookstore in the capable hands of his two employees. As it neared closing time, the place became even more quiet and it was harder for them to ignore that the other existed.

Eventually, Grantaire just shook his head and walked behind the counter. "So...how was your day?"

"It was all right," Enjolras replied from where he was going over that day's inventory list.

"That's good. Where are you in _Clockwork Princess_?" Grantaire's fingers caressed the hardcover edge of the book.

"Gideon and Gabriel just came clean to Charlotte about what the Consul wanted them to do," Enjolras answered.

"Oh, that's nice," Grantaire said. "I'm still in the beginning of _Lost Souls._ Clary just stole the faerie rings from the library of the Institute and saw Jace and Sebastian."

Enjolras only nodded in response, and the silence fell between them again. He glanced up at Grantaire when he wasn't looking. "Are you going to ask it or not?"

"Ask what?" Grantaire had now taken to opening up Enjolras's book and using his finger to flip through the pages.

"The question that you've been biting back since Lamarque left." Enjolras turned to look at him.

Grantaire sighed, then asked, "So, what did you two talk about?"

Enjolras hesitated for a second before saying, "You."

"Me?"

"Yes, about what happened the other day. The argument."

"Jules…" Grantaire lifted his hand to place it over Enjolras's on the counter. Enjolras looked down at it, but didn't pull away. Feeling brave, Grantaire leaned into his space. "I meant what I said. I'd be able to handle keeping it a secret, if it meant being with you."

Enjolras met his eyes. He turned his hand to lace their fingers together. Their hands stayed like that as Enjolras thought of what to say next. Grantaire ran his thumb over the back of Enjolras's hand, sending a warm, fuzzy feeling through Enjolras's chest.

"It would never work." Enjolras started to play with Grantaire's fingers.

"We can make it work. I believe in giving this a chance," Grantaire said. He leaned more into his space, cupping Enjolras's face with one hand and brushed his thumb over his cheek. "Jules, does this feel wrong?" Enjolras shook his head. "What about this?" Grantaire wrapped his arm around Enjolras's waist, pressing it against the small of his back, letting his fingers run across his spine. They looked each other in the eye. "Or finally this?" Grantaire leaned forward to press his lips to Enjolras's softly. A kiss that Enjolras didn't hesitate to return. It only lasted a minute before Grantaire pulled away and pressed their foreheads together. "Everything feels right when I'm with you."

"Nic..." Enjolras started. "I want nothing more than to say yes."

"Then say it."

"No." A tear rolled down his cheek. "We can't do this. No matter how much both of us want to. We have to forget. We have to just be friends. Please, Nicolas."

Grantaire felt a piece of his heart chip away listening to the pain and heartbreak in Enjolras's voice. He agreed with a small nod of his head. "But if this is the only time that I'm ever going to be able to hold you like this, I'm going to make the most of it. Can I kiss you?"

Enjolras cupped his face to bring his mouth back down to his. Grantaire wrapped his other arm around Enjolras, pulling him closer. 

The kiss lasted for what felt like forever. Their lips not wanting to leave the other because they knew the moment they pulled away, they'd never get it again. But soon they needed to come back up for air. Both of their faces were red with swollen lips. Grantaire brought his hand up to Enjolras's face and his fingers ran through the curls. He could see tears in Enjolras's eyes, and feel them burn in his own. He brought their foreheads together.

"I want to say it, but I know that it will only break our hearts more—"

"Say it, please. And I'll say it back," Enjolras said. "I want to hear you say it. Even if it's just once."

Grantaire looked Enjolras in the eye and grabbed his hand to place it over his heart. "I love you. I'm only 16, but I know that my heart will always be yours."

Enjolras felt another tear fall from his eye. Grantaire wiped it away. "I love you, too, Nicolas Grantaire. And I'll never be sorry."

"Neither will I." Grantaire pressed their lips together again in a quick kiss. "We have to finish closing the store."

"I know," Enjolras said, not wanting to pull himself away from Grantaire, but knew that he had to.

When it came time to lock the door and shut the lights off, Grantaire had to fight the urge to pull Enjolras back in his arms to kiss him one more time. He couldn't, though, no matter how much he may want to. Once the door was locked, they turned to each other.

"So, I guess, I'll say goodnight," Enjolras said.

"Goodnight, Jules."

"Goodnight."

Enjolras took a step back before turning around to head to his bus stop. His heart breaking, tears threatening to fall with every step he took away from the man that he loved.

Grantaire's own tears fell as he watched Enjolras leave. He turned to walk to his home. Arriving home, he went straight to his bedroom, seeing a couple packages lying on his bed. He opened them up to discover they were the French editions of _City of Glass_ and _City of Fallen Angels_ that he had bought for Enjolras as a Christmas present. He held the books in hand, but as he looked at them, it caused him to break down in tears because of his shattered heart.

He forced himself to move the books to his bookshelf to wrap for Enjolras later, and then he got ready for bed. Grantaire reached for his sketchbook, but no ideas came to him. It didn't help that it was filled with sketches of Enjolras, either. He couldn't even bring himself to pick up _Lost Souls_ because all it did was serve as a reminder of Enjolras.

Instead, he reached for his guitar and manuscript paper as an idea for a song came to his mind. A song that he titled: "Rewrite the Stars: For Jules". He strummed a few notes on the guitar, singing the words that came to mind.

_🎵You know I want you. It's not a secret I try to hide. I know you want me. So don't keep saying our hands are tied...🎵_

Grantaire didn't finish the song until late into the night knowing that the first draft of the song was the only draft that was needed to convey the depth of his feelings for Enjolras. Once it was finished, Grantaire finally found himself able to sleep.

***

Enjolras arrived home and escaped immediately up to his bedroom. Adeline heard the sound of his crying from where she was reading her book on the couch. She set her book down and headed up after him. Opening his door, she saw him sitting on the floor next to his bed, face buried in his arms. Adeline frowned and her heart broke even more for him. She tiptoed into the room, closing the door quietly. Without saying a word, she sat down next to him and took him into her arms. Running her fingers through his hair, she just let him cry.

***

_February 2014_

In the weeks that followed, January became February.

They did their best to return to the way things were before they fell in love, but it was easier said than done. They still talked every day about their families and the things they had in common. But now, there was an added longing in their voices. Their touches were filled with yearning.

Valentine's Day that year put them both in extremely sour moods, especially as Enjolras was forced to watch Combeferre and Courfeyrac, as well as Cosette and Marius, give each other presents and enjoy each other's company. As he had wanted to the entire day was feign illness in order to stay at home, but if he did that he wouldn't be able to see Grantaire at work and he needed to be able to see him, if only for a little while.

Grantaire's friends had been able to convince him to come out with them to a Valentine's Day party. It was a party where someone had spiked the punch and because of his sadness, Grantaire had drank too much and had sex with a male student in the bathroom stall of the club, only to then go home with the boy to his dorm room. On Saturday morning when he woke with a massive hangover, Grantaire had felt a massive wave of guilt wash over him and the only thought in his mind was, _I betrayed the man that I love._ He snuck out of the dorm room and back to his home. He got some water and food, a shower, and a change of clothes before heading to work with no idea how he was going to face Enjolras.

Walking into the store, the first thing that Grantaire noticed was that Enjolras was at the register, ringing up some books for a young male customer.

Enjolras placed the books in a drawstring blue velvet bag, asked the man if he wanted his receipt and handed the book to him, saying in his customer service voice, "Thank you for shopping with us. We hope to see you again at Lamarque's Wonder Emporium of Books."

The young man winked at Enjolras, with a flirtatious smile, and slid a sticky note across the table. Enjolras felt his skin crawl as he realized that it was the man's number, and then his eye caught Grantaire and he felt his heart sink to his stomach. His smile was friendly as he took the number to appease the man. The man then left without another word. Enjolras glanced down at the sticky nose before throwing it in the trash behind the counter.

Grantaire felt the hand that had been squeezing his heart when he saw the man give Enjolras the note release and he sighed in relief. But then as Enjolras's sky blue eyes and his charming smile turned on him, the relief was quickly replaced with bone-crushing guilt. He came around the counter to place his bag, jacket, and beanie in his locker and to clock in.

"So, how was your Valentine's Day?" he asked.

Enjolras shrugged. "It was alright. Adeline convinced me to play some board and card games with her, then we ordered in and watched the first _Lord of the Rings_ movie. She made it her mission last night to distract me." The reason for why he needed to be distracted went unspoken between them. "How was yours?"

"Um...it was alright. My friends and I went to a party."

"Oh. How was that?"

Grantaire shrugged. "It was fun, I guess. But...um...there's something that I have to tell you."

Enjolras stopped counting the stack of books that was sitting next to him to give Grantaire his attention. "Okay. What's going on?"

Grantaire bit his lip and started to play with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. Avoiding Enjolras's gaze. "I might have gotten drunk and um...I slept with someone." He brought his eyes to Enjolras's eyes. His friend turned his head before he could see his reaction. Hearing his confession, Enjolras felt a hand plunge itself into his chest, grip his heart tightly, and rip it out and crush it. "Jules, I'm sorry. It didn't mean anything."

"You don't have to apologize." Enjolras's eyes met his. Grantaire couldn't read his expression, it was completely blank and his eyes were unfeeling. "I told you to forget me, so you can do whatever you want."

"Jules..."

"I said it was fine. I'm going to check the stock on this book. We're running low on copies on the shelf." Enjolras walked to the back of the store.

Once in the back, he hid himself behind a shelf and let himself have a little cry for a minute or two. Then, he wiped any sign of his tears away and composed himself. They agreed to forget each other. _Nicolas can do whatever he wants or be with whoever he wants. I have no claim on him,_ Enjolras thought as he searched for the book that he came back for. _But that doesn't make it hurt any less. Not when you haven't been doing very well in the forgetting him department,_ a voice that sounded suspiciously like Adeline said in the back of his mind, but he ignored it and returned to doing his job.

***

A few days after Valentine's Day, Enjolras was walking the school hallway when he passed a few of Grantaire's friends standing by Musichetta's locker on his way to his English class. He didn't mean to overhear their conversation, but it couldn't be helped that he heard Grantaire's name.

"Nic's going out on a date with the dude that he hooked up with on Valentine's Day tomorrow night," Bossuet said to the group.

"Good. He's been a major ass lately. He could use some more action," Éponine commented.

Jehan's attention peaked from his book to his friends. "I thought Nic didn't get the guy's number."

"From what I understood, apparently the guy slipped it into his pocket while they were making out in the bathroom," Bossuet explained.

Hearing enough, Enjolras hurried his pace up to get to his English classroom. It wasn't that he wasn't expecting Grantaire to move on, he was, but it still felt like a thousand tiny daggers were being buried in his heart and twisted until they reached the hilt. Of course, hearing it secondhand didn't help either.

He desperately held the tears back throughout his entire English class. Not looking forward to work after school that day, at all.

***

Enjolras entered the store that day through the café. He had picked himself up a few peanut butter cookies to put in his ice cream when he got home as he had a good cry. Grantaire was washing down the counter as Enjolras clocked in, but he did his best to ignore him.

"Hey, Jules. How was your day?" Enjolras simply shrugged as he got right to work in picking up a rag to start dusting the shelves. Grantaire waited patiently for him to say more, but when he didn't, Grantaire spoke again. "My day was fine. I have a lot of homework to do when I get home. Not looking forward to that, but hopefully it'll be easy." Enjolras didn't react at all. "Okay, what's going on with you?"

"Nothing."

Grantaire rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. You haven't ignored me like this since we started working together, and I would like to think I know what's bothering you by now."

Enjolras closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"About what?"

"You know what?" Enjolras let go of the rag and turned to his friend, but it was clear his friend didn't have a clue what he was talking about. " _Your date,_ Nic."

"You heard?"

"Kind of hard not to when your friends are standing in the middle of the hallway talking about it."

"Jules, I'm sorry. I was going to tell you when you got here," Grantaire said. "I just...I'm sorry, I don't know what else to say." Enjolras stayed silent for a few moments. Grantaire looked up at him through his lashes. "Say something, please?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. How do you feel about it?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know how I'm feeling."

"Yes, I do."

Enjolras crossed his arms, trying to keep himself together. "Fine. How could you? How could you forget that easily? That quickly?"

"You think that forgetting you is easy?" Grantaire asked. "I see you every fucking day! You are all that I fucking think about!"

"Then, why?"

"Because I have to! If there's any hope in forgetting you, I have to go on this date! I can't spend every fucking day pining after the one person that I can't have, no matter how much I may want to."

"And how do you think I feel?! Do you think forgetting about you is any easier?!" Enjolras exclaimed. "I feel the shards of my broken heart every single fucking time I breathe. I can't seem to go a day without crying over you!"

"Then give us a fucking chance!" Grantaire screamed. "Put us out of our fucking misery!"

Enjolras yelled in frustration before grabbing Grantaire's face and mashing their mouths together. The kiss was rough, hard, and nothing but teeth. Grantaire's hand pulled on Enjolras's hair with Enjolras cupping his face with one hand and pulling him closer with the other. Their lips smacking and moving against each other in such a way that was sure to leave them bruised.

Neither one registered that their feet were moving until Enjolras's back hit the shelves and he winced slightly as the corners of the books dug into his shoulder blades, but he didn't pull away. Grantaire pulled at his curls again, swallowing the moan the action received.

Needing to breathe, Enjolras pulled away. His eyes met Grantaire's for a split second before his friend's mouth attached itself to his neck and he started kissing, licking, and sucking hard enough to leave a mark. Enjolras moved his head to side to give Grantaire better access.

"Nic..."

Grantaire moved his mouth to the corner of Enjolras's ear. "Please, Jules. I can't do this anymore. I don't want to go on that date, I only want to be with you." He pressed tiny kisses across his jaw, bringing his mouth back to Enjolras's. "I love you. I love you, so much."

"I love you, too."

"Then, please, give in to this. Go after what you want. Claim me as yours, even if only in secret. We'll make it work. I don't have any fucking clue how, but we will. All you have to do is say 'yes.'"

Enjolras pulled away, looking into Grantaire's green eyes that were filled with frustration, anger, pleading, sadness, hurt, love, and desire all at once. He loved his eyes. They were a color of green that he had never seen before, but they haunted his dreams and his every waking moment. His hand slid up from his waist and rested over his heart. Feeling it beat rapidly under his hand. His eyes met Grantaire's again and this time he could read what they were saying, "My heart is yours and it always will be. Just say yes, I'm begging you."

He closed his eyes. Quickly went through a list of pros and cons in his head, but even though that list was filled with more cons than pros, he couldn't deny his heart's deepest desire. He wanted Grantaire. Just then he heard his grandmother's words playing back in his mind.

_Because I know you. You go after the things you want, even if it's an uphill battle._

His grandmother was absolutely right. He did go after the things he wanted, and right now, more than anything, he wanted Grantaire and he was going to have him, even if it was going to be difficult and painful.

He opened his eyes, cupped Grantaire's face and brought their mouths back together. This time it was a soft kiss. Just simple presses of their lips, but against his mouth, he whispered one tiny word, but it was the most important word he had ever said in his life.

"Yes."

Grantaire pulled him back in for another kiss, but the smile on his face was too wide that a kiss was almost impossible. Enjolras brought his arms around his neck and rested their foreheads together, a bright smile on his face.

"Don't go on the date, please—"

"I won't."

"—I don't know what I was thinking by trying to forget you. I'm just so scared that we won't be able to make it work."

"I know you're scared, I am too, but we have to give it a try. We'll never know unless we do."

"Okay, I trust you. Let's give it a try." Grantaire cupped his face and kissed him again. Then, something that he said a few seconds ago, registered in Enjolras's brain. "You said you're not going on the date, right?"

"Nope. I'll cancel the date, I promise. You're the only one I want, Jules."

Enjolras didn't say anything, just smiled brightly and gave him another light kiss before they agreed to go back to work.

***

After closing the store down for the night and shutting the lights, Enjolras left the building with Grantaire following him. He shut the door and locked it. Then he wrapped his arms around Enjolras's waist, pulling him closer. The streetlights illuminated Enjolras's hair and it gave him a beautiful halo.

"You're so beautiful." Grantaire caressed Enjolras's cheekbone.

Enjolras flushed. "Does this mean I'm your boyfriend now?"

"I would hope so."

"Then, you're my boyfriend." Enjolras kissed him, licking his lips when they pulled away, and closed his eyes. "My boyfriend, I like the sound of that."

"Me too. I'm your boyfriend, albeit secret boyfriend, but boyfriend nonetheless."

They shared another kiss before parting and heading in their separate directions.

***

Opening the door of his bedroom, Grantaire set his bag down at the foot of the bed. He pulled out his phone to send a text to cancel his date tomorrow. He opened his bag and pulled his homework out for the night, but as he searched for his assignment, he had forgotten that he had placed the song that he had written for Enjolras inside. He smiled as he read through the lyrics. An idea forming in his head, Grantaire reached for his phone, ignoring the text he had received from his would-be date, and went straight for Enjolras's number.

**_Grantaire (9:37 P.M.): Do you remember when you asked me to write a song for you?_ **

**_My Secret Love 💞 (9:37 P.M.): Yes. What about it? 😜_ **

**_Grantaire (9:38 P.M.): I might've done it. 🙈_ **

**_My Secret Love 💞 (9:39 P.M.): Really?!_ **

**_My Secret Love 💞 (9:39 P.M.): If I call you, will you perform it for me?_ **

**_Grantaire (9:40 P.M.): I would, but I have a better idea._ **

**_My Secret Love 💞 (9:40 P.M.): ?_ **

**_Grantaire (9:41 P.M.): You know the school talent show next Friday?_ **

**_My Secret Love 💞 (9:41 P.M.): Yeah._ **

**_Grantaire (9:41 P.M.): What would you say if I told you I thought about performing it there? I want to declare my love for you to the world. I swear, I won't reveal who it was written for._ **

**_My Secret Love 💞 (9:42 P.M.): 😭😭 It would mean so much to me._ **

**_Grantaire (9:42 P.M.): Thank you! I'll sign up when I get to school tomorrow morning._ **

**_Grantaire (9:42 P.M.): Just fair warning, I wrote it when I thought I would never be with you, so keep that in mind when you hear it._ **

**_My Secret Love 💞 (9:43 P.M.): I will. I can't wait to hear it. But now, I have homework to do._ **

**_Grantaire (9:43 P.M.): Me too. I'll text you when I'm done. I love you! 😍_ **

**_My Secret Love 💞 (9:44 P.M.): I love you, too._ **

Grantaire smiled and locked his phone. He opened his planner to remind himself what homework he had to do. Grantaire grabbed the book they were reading in English and sat back to read the chapter they were assigned.

***

And the talent show came quickly after Grantaire signed up. Every year the school scheduled a talent show in the middle of the semester in order for them to have a break from academia. Most of the students showed up for that reason, and Enjolras had assured him that he would be in the audience.

It hadn't been a surprise to anyone in the school that he was on the lineup for they all knew that he loved music and performing. First up was a dance act by two freshmen girls from their dance class. Then, it was a boy from the sophomore class who sang a song that Grantaire had never heard of on his guitar. The third was another girl in the junior class who did a little tap dance number. And finally, it was his turn. From his spot in the wings, he could see Enjolras sitting in the fifth row in the center section between Combeferre and Courfeyrac. His friends were in the very last row with some of them probably not paying that much attention.

The piano was brought out as Grantaire stepped onto the stage, and the auditorium erupted into applause. His eyes found Enjolras's, who discreetly mouthed, "Break a leg." Grantaire sat down and placed the music on the piano. The title and who it was written for staring him right in the face.

"So...um...I wrote this song, and um...I wrote it for the people who feel like their love is forbidden," Grantaire said into the microphone. He made a quick glance towards Enjolras, whose expression he couldn't read.

Enjolras shifted in his seat, his heart pounding, but trying not to react anymore than that. If he reacted in any way, it would give his feelings for Grantaire away, something he couldn't have. So, he was left with no other choice, but to remain stoic as Grantaire's baritone voice started to fill the auditorium.

Grantaire played the first note to make sure he was on the right pitch before he opened his mouth and words came out.

_🎵You know I want you. It's not a secret I try to hide. I know you want me. So don't keep saying our hands are tied. You claim it's not in the cards, but fate is pulling you miles away, and out of reach from me. But you're here in my heart, so who can stop me if I decide that you're my destiny?🎵_

Grantaire's fingers moved across the piano as he sang the lyrics. His eyes followed the sheet music, but once he reached the chorus, his eyes searched for Enjolras.

_🎵What if we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine. Nothing could keep us apart. You'd be the one I was meant to find. It's up to you, and it's up to me. No one can say what we get to be. Why don't we rewrite the stars? Maybe the world could be ours tonight🎵_

The second verse and chorus was written as if it was Enjolras listing the reasons for why it was impossible for them to be together. Grantaire's eyes went back to the sheet music. He finally reached the bridge, turning his eyes back to Enjolras to sing.

_🎵All I want is to fly with you. All I want is fall with you. So just give me all of you. It's not impossible. Say that's possible. How do we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine. Nothing can keep us apart 'cause you are the one I was meant to find. It's up to you, and it's up to me. No one can say what we get to be. Why don't we rewrite the stars? Changing the world to be ours🎵_

Grantaire finished out the song. He took his hands off the piano as the audience erupted into a thunderous applause. Grantaire didn't dare look in Enjolras's direction one final time, instead he stood up and bowed. He walked off the stage, feeling nervous about what Enjolras's reaction would be to the song.

After Grantaire finished the song, all Enjolras wanted to do was run out of the auditorium, find him, and kiss him senseless, but he knew that if he did that, it would give away who the song was written for. So, Enjolras forced himself to hold off on leaving the auditorium for three more acts before he excused himself and left the room.

No one was in the halls because they were all in the auditorium, but Enjolras wasn't 100% sure where Grantaire would be. But he didn't need to search for Grantaire because Grantaire found him. Their eyes met, and Enjolras grabbed Grantaire's hand, pulling him through a door and into an empty stairwell.

"So, what did you think? Did you—" Grantaire was cut off by lips crashing onto his.

It took Grantaire's brain a second to catch up to what was happening, but once it did, Grantaire's lips started to move against Enjolras's with just as much heat and pressure as Enjolras was pressing against his. Grantaire's arms wrapped around his torso. Enjolras could feel his hands splayed against his back as the desperation and want in their kisses grew.

Grantaire held out a hand as he backed Enjolras up against the wall, lifting him up like he weighed nothing. Enjolras's legs wrapped around his waist. Their mouths never left each other, neither did their tongues, and they swallowed up each other's moans. Grantaire pulled his mouth from Enjolras's as he kissed down his jaw and neck. Enjolras's eyes slipped closed as Grantaire kissed and nipped at his neck. His hands stayed in the inky curls, guiding his head. Grantaire couldn't help himself. He opened his mouth to suck another mark over the one that was starting to fade. As his teeth scrapped the alabaster skin, Grantaire heard Enjolras let out a sharp moan. His tongue swept over it when he pulled away.

A swell of pride grew in his chest knowing that Enjolras would have to continue wearing something to cover up the marks. He would never tire of seeing his love's neck marked up in love bites that signified that he was he and only his.

With that thought, Grantaire's mouth returned to Enjolras's. The desperation had lessened a little, and the kisses were filled with a sweetness that made both of their hearts hurt. But eventually, they pulled away for air, breathing heavily. Keeping Enjolras braced against the wall, Grantaire wrapped his arms around his torso. Enjolras's fingers played with the curls at the nape of his neck.

Grantaire smiled as he pressed a soft kiss to Enjolras's lips. "So, I take it that you liked it?"

"I loved it. Almost as much as I love you," Enjolras replied. He played with the collar of Grantaire's shirt, then asked, shyly, "Do you think that I could get a copy of the music?"

"Absolutely. I'll make a copy after school and give it to you at work." Grantaire kissed him again. "I love you."

Enjolras was just about to kiss him again, but he heard a locker slam. Grantaire immediately set him down and they straightened their clothes, but when Enjolras started to leave, Grantaire pulled him back to him for a quick kiss, then he let Enjolras leave their hiding place.

As he walked to his locker, Enjolras pulled his shirt over the mark that Grantaire left on his neck. He went to his locker to grab his scarf to cover it up. Grantaire passed him a few minutes later, and they shared a secret smile as the hallway filled with students. Enjolras grabbed his books to head to his final class of the day. Combeferre and Courfeyrac fell into step next to him.

Courfeyrac looked at him confused. "What is up with you and that fucking scarf? I feel like I haven't seen you without it on all week."

"I've been cold," Enjolras lied.

Combeferre and Courfeyrac glanced at each other, telling Enjolras that they didn't believe him. Instead of saying anything though, he just continued walking, ignoring any questions they might have.

***

When they arrived at work after school, they silently agreed to keep away from each other until they put in a good hour's worth of work. But when Enjolras removed the scaf, Grantaire had to suppress his smile when he saw the love bite on Enjolras's neck.

After 45 minutes of no one coming into the store, Grantaire figured that he had waited long enough to get his hands on Enjolras again. He walked behind the counter and wrapped his arms around Enjolras's waist to kiss his neck.

"You drive me crazy," Enjolras commented.

Grantaire didn't say anything. He just kept pressing chaste kisses across Enjolras's neck. But then he remembered what was in his bag, he pulled away from Enjolras, who whimpered slightly. "Do you like the feeling of me kissing your neck that much?"

Enjolras turned to him, pulling him closer to him by his belt loops after he finished grabbing what he needed. "Mmhmm. I think you've found one of my weak spots, especially when you kiss that spot under my ear. You know the one?"

"You bet I do," Grantaire teased. He moved his hand across Enjolras's waist. His pinky finger purposely brushed across a spot of skin where Enjolras's shirt had risen. Just that small, simple touch had caused Enjolras's skin to feel warm and his stomach tightened in knots.

He was reminded of the fact that Grantaire was the experienced one in their relationship, and they would eventually have to have a conversation about sex and where it fit into their relationship, but he decided to push that thought as far back in his brain as possible for the time being. His mind was preoccupied with those thoughts that he didn't hear what his boyfriend was saying until Grantaire grabbed his attention with a small kiss.

"Sorry."

"Your mind was a thousand miles away. What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing important. At least, not right now anyway."

"Okay, but I'm holding you to that. If you want to talk about it later, I'm here." Grantaire placed his hand under Enjolras's chin, giving him a quick peck. Enjolras simply nodded when he pulled away. He smiled at his boyfriend. "Here." He held up a few sheets of paper that were being held together using a paper clip. "It's your copy."

Enjolras took the paper from him, reading the title: "Rewrite the Stars: For Jules". He grinned widely. "Thank you. I love you."

"I know."

They kissed for a third time before Enjolras pulled away. "As much as I would love to keep kissing you, we need to get back to work."

Grantaire kissed him chastely before he walked out from behind the counter to go back to restocking shelves, while Enjolras continued to fill any online orders they had.

Neither one noticed Lamarque watching the entire stage from his office door. He hadn't meant to see the moment, but it was kind of hard when he had opened the door to see them kissing against the counter. They had told him a week ago that they had decided to give in to their feelings and try to make a relationship work, and since then Lamarque had been wracking his brain trying to come up with a way to help them.

Then, it hit him. He was going to give them a place where they could be together without worrying about being caught by prying eyes, and he had just the place. He just now had to find the right moment to give his godson and his boyfriend his gift.

***

When Enjolras got home that night, the scarf back around his neck, and a smile on his face. He greeted Adeline and Mary with kisses on their cheeks. But his happy mood was dampened when he saw that his parents were out of their office.

"Julien," the cold and authoritarian voice of his father said.

Enjolras turned to look at his father, his smile fading. His hands went to the scarf, making sure that it was still in place. He said, "Yes, Father."

"I hope you have not forgotten what is coming up in a few months," Alphonse said.

"The masquerade ball." _As if I could forget. There are flyers and posters up all over the damned city despite it not being for another three months,_ Enjolras thought.

The Annual Charity Masquerade Ball was held the first weekend in June like clockwork. This year's theme was Midnight in the Woods with a color scheme of blues and purples.

It was a charity event because the money that was raised from the tickets was always given to a charity, usually a charity with abhorrent values. His parents had been hosting it for as long as he could remember and it was always his least favorite night of the year. It was pretentious and all it did was give New York socialites a chance to brag about their money.

Every year, Enjolras dreaded getting dressed up and putting on the mask, but this year he might be able to enjoy it. As long as Grantaire agreed to get a mask and sneak in. It would be their first public event without people knowing who they were. He made a mental note to talk to Grantaire about it. The Grantaire's were obviously never invited due to the fucking rivalry.

Enjolras was pulled out of his thoughts by his mother asking the question he always dreaded. "Have you asked a nice girl, yet?"

He fought to stop the roll of his eyes. "No. I haven't. Because again, Mother, I'm gay."

Enjolras watched as his mother flinched and the anger flared in his father's eyes at the word.

"But we have an agreement that you don't flaunt that little inconvenience," Alphonse said.

"Inconvenience?!" Enjolras cried. "It's what I am, and I never agreed to such an arrangement. You decided it for yourselves that I had to suppress who I am, so I don't ruin your fragile reputation."

"Oh, Julien, don't go into hysterics," Marguerite said.

Enjolras rolled his eyes. "It's not hysterical, if it's true."

"Enough!" Alphonse roared. "You are going to ask a woman to the ball. You are going to act like there is nothing disgusting about you, and you will keep your mouth shut. That is final!"

Enjolras glared at his parents, eyes filled with hatred, all while trying to keep the bubble of laughter that threatened to burst out of him inside. He just found it hilarious that right under his parent's noses, he had fallen in love with Nicolas Grantaire, and he currently had a scarf on that hid not just one, but two love bites he had received from his boyfriend.

"Fine. It's your way or the highway, right? God forbid anyone ever tries to show that you might be wrong." Enjolras turned to go upstairs. Angel followed obediently after him.

"Julien!" Alphonse called after him, but Enjolras ignored him.

Enjolras walked into his room, threw his bag on the couch, and walked up the steps to the bathroom. He took the scarf off as he walked. He stared at himself in the mirror. The marks stood out brightly against his alabaster skin. Enjolras brought a hand up to run his fingers gently over his skin and smiled. As he stared at them, the only thing he knew was that he ached for Grantaire to do it again.

A knock on the door pulled him out his thoughts. He frantically placed the scarf back on, calling. "Just a second!" Enjolras ran down the stairs, opened his backpack, sat down on the couch, and took out his book. "Come in."

It was Adeline.

Enjolras breathed a sigh of relief. He closed the book again and removed his scarf as she came in, shut the door, and sat down next to him.

"So, I heard."

"I figured as much."

"Jules, I wish there was something more that I could do to stop them from acting this way. I thought I had raised your father to be more accepting, but I guess not," Adeline said.

"It's the same conversation every time, Grandma. And it's never going to change. Never," Enjolras said. "They've already laid my entire life out for me. Find a pretty girl to marry. Go to Dartmouth. Then, when I'm ready, I take over the family business. But I don't want to do any of that. I want my own life. My own choices."

Adeline took Enjolras's hands. "Jules, I'm on your side. I always have been."

"I know." Enjolras squeezed her hand.

"Now, as for the real question. How's Nic?" Adeline asked knowing it would make his cheeks turn pink.

"He's good. Wonderful actually." Enjolras reached into his bag and pulled out his copy of the song. "This is the song that he wrote me." He handed her the sheet music.

Adeline took it and started to read the lyrics. When she finished reading, she handed the music back to him. "That's beautiful, Jules."

Enjolras's smile was blinding with happiness. "I know. I'm so happy that he's mine."

"I can tell," she teased. "I just...can you please explain to me why you put yourself and him through those pointless weeks of pain?"

"I don't know because I'm an idiot. Because I thought it was the right thing to do at the time. I was scared of what I felt for him. What he felt for me. That we'd never work out, so it was easier to not even try, but hearing his confessions of sleeping with someone and that he was going to go out on a date with said someone and the realization hit that forgetting meant moving on, I just couldn't do it, so I gave in and decided to try it."

"I'm just glad that you did decide to give it a chance."

"Me too. I just hope that I can convince him to sneak in the masquerade ball. Maybe having him there will make that night a little less miserable."

"Well, I'm sure you will. And you have three months to do it, so..." she shrugged. "Now, changing the subject, Mary made pork loin and season asparagus for dinner. I can bring you up a plate if you're hungry?"

"That would be great, thanks," Enjolras replied.

Adeline stood up, kissed his forehead, and left the room. A few minutes later, Adeline came back up with a tray of pork loin, seasoned asparagus, and a small bowl of Caesar salad with chocolate cake for dessert. Then, she left his room again, saying goodnight and reminding him to bring the tray down to the kitchen when he was done.

Enjolras took the tray to his desk, so he could eat and work on homework. As he worked, his phone buzzed. Enjolras glanced at it and saw that it was a text from Grantaire. He smiled as he read it.

**_Love 💚 (9:24 P.M.): I miss you. 😢_ **

**_Enjolras (9:24 P.M.): I miss you, too. 😘_ **

**_Love 💚 (9:25 P.M.): FaceTime?_ **

**_Enjolras (9:25 P.M.): Give me 10 minutes to finish this assignment that's due on Monday._ **

**_Love 💚 (9:26 P.M. You're such an overachiever. There's no way you are real. But I love that about you. In the meantime, I'll just be sitting here twirling my fingers._ **

Enjolras rolled his eyes, affectionately. He put the phone down in order for him to work on homework, doing his best not to get distracted. But he only lasted five of the 10 minutes that they had agreed to before he caved. He put his homework away, grabbed his phone, and went to lay on the bed. As he got situated, he called Grantaire.

 _"You caved,"_ Grantaire teased when he picked up.

"What can I say I missed you," Enjolras said, "and I just needed to stop thinking for a while, and you help with that."

 _"Did something happen?"_ Grantaire asked, concern evident on his face.

"Just my parents being assholes like always," Enjolras said.

 _"What happened?"_ Grantaire asked.

"I don't want to burden you with my problems.

_"Jules, it's me. You can tell me anything. Us being together now doesn't change that."_

"Fine," Enjolras said. "When I got home, my parents got on my case about the dumb masquerade ball, and how when I'm at it, I can't be flaunting the fact that I'm gay."

 _"Baby, I'm sorry,"_ Grantaire said, using the pet name for the first time.

"It's fine. I just...I hate this," Enjolras said. Not even paying attention to what his boyfriend had just called him.

_"I know. I wish there was something that I could do to help."_

"Well, just talking to you right now is helping." Enjolras smiled.

Grantaire smiled back. _"I'm glad to hear that."_

Enjolras curled up around his pillows as he talked to his boyfriend for hours. Eventually, they had talked so long that Enjolras had to plug his phone in, so that it didn't die. Soon after that, though, his eyes started drooping and he couldn't keep the conversation going because he was growing sleepy.

 _"Baby…"_ Grantaire whispered.

"Hmm." Enjolras opened his eyes, giving his boyfriend a sleepy smile. "I like it when you call me that."

 _"Then I'll keep doing it,"_ Grantaire said. _"But you're starting to fall asleep on me, so I'm going to let you go in order to let you sleep."_

Enjolras yawned. "I love you."

 _"I love you, too."_ Grantaire made a kiss noise in the speaker. When Enjolras returned it, they hung up.

Enjolras got off the bed to get his pajamas on and brush his teeth. Then, he read a chapter in his book. He checked his phone one more time only to see that he had another text from Grantaire.

**_Love 💚 ( 11:55 P.M.) Goodnight, baby. I love you. Sweet dreams. 💝_ **

**_Enjolras (12:09 A.M.) I love you, too. Goodnight, my love. 😘💋_ **

***

On the next Thursday, Lamarque decided that it was time to give them his present. He walked into the store about an hour and a half into their shift, locked the door, and placed a sign on it that said: "All current employees will be back in 15 minutes." He walked to Enjolras, who was working the register.

"Um...Jules, where's Nic?" Lamarque asked.

"He's in the back, grabbing books that need to be restocked. Why?" Enjolras questioned.

"I need both of you to come with me," Lamarque said.

Enjolras didn't say anything as he called Grantaire back to the front.

It took Grantaire two minutes to return to the front. He looked at Enjolras, then Lamarque, then back to the Enjolras and said, "What's going on?"

Enjolras shrugged. "I don't know. He just said that he needed us."

Grantaire looked at Lamarque again. Lamarque didn't say anything, just gestured for them to follow him.

Enjolras stood still for a second, asking, "What about the store?"

"I put a sign up that said we'd be back in 15 and locked the door. It'll be fine. Just come on," Lamarque said, patience wearing then because of his anxiousness to give them his gift.

Grantaire held out his hand for Enjolras. They laced their fingers together as he followed Lamarque through the backdoors and into a hallway that led up to the apartment complex above the store.

"So, as you guys know, I don't just own the bookstore and the café, I also own the five apartments above it. One was my own apartment before I got married, and sometimes I still use it. One has an elderly woman and her grandson who helps her out living in it. The other three are vacant," Lamarque started to ascend the stairs.

"Yes, but why are you telling us this?" Grantaire asked.

"Patience, my young friend," Lamarque said.

They finally made it to the landing of the apartments. Lamarque led them to the one at the end of the hallway.

"The reason that I reminded you of these apartments is because I wanted to give you two a place where you could be together without the prying eyes of parents and friends. I already informed Adeline that I was doing this and she loved the idea. So, Jules and Nic, welcome to your humble abode." Lamarque opened the door and stepped to the side to allow the couple to have a look.

Both of them stood in the doorway, looking inside the studio apartment. Enjolras was the first one to take a step inside. There was a living room area already furnished with a large leather couch and small entertainment center with a TV. Then, next to the living room area was the queen sized bed that had a dark blue comforter. On the other side of the room was the kitchen and a small half bathroom.

Enjolras looked at Grantaire, who was looking at Lamarque. His boyfriend said, "You're serious? This is ours."

"Yes," Lamarque assured. "Rent free. I just figured that you should be able to have a place with no interruptions. No disapproving eyes. You can show your affection for each other without having to pull away when someone walks in. No secret meetings. No disappearing behind bookshelves to make out."

Enjolras blushed bright red when he was reminded that he and Grantaire had done that during their shift on Saturday when the store had been dead. Grantaire smirked at him. They continued to look at the room in awe before Lamarque excused himself to leave them alone for a few minutes. Grantaire gravitated toward Enjolras, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissed him.

"Can you believe that he did this?" Enjolras asked when he pulled away.

"No, but I'm grateful that he did," Grantaire said with a smile. "Because now, I can do this." Grantaire kissed Enjolras with an intensity that had been absent in their previous kisses since their stairwell kiss on Friday after Grantaire performed. It caused a hot, foreign feeling to arise in Enjolras's chest. It lasted for a few minutes before he pulled away. "And not feel like I'm going to see it pop up in a tabloid or online." Enjolras had to fight the annoyed expression that threatened to appear on his face at the mention of the tabloids. "But you are worth every lie that I need to tell. It's only been about a week and a few days, but I know that for a fact."

Enjolras didn't say anything, only returned to kissing his boyfriend. "We can spend more time up here, making it feel like ours tomorrow since it's our day off. Right now, we need to get back to work."

Grantaire shook his head, but took his hand and led him out the door to go back to the store.

Lamarque had already opened the store again and took the sign off the door. He turned to them when he heard them come back down. He saw Enjolras open his mouth, but he held his hand up. "Don't say anything. Just seeing the smiles on both your faces is enough for me to know I did the right thing in giving that place to you. I already placed a key to the apartment in both of your lockers." He patted them both on the shoulder as he walked to his office to do some paperwork.

***

Later that night, after Lamarque left the store, Enjolras was dusting shelves while Grantaire handled the front. Since no one was in the store, Grantaire didn't think anyone would miss him and went to search for his boyfriend. Grantaire found him in the children's book section. He came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist to kiss down his neck knowing how much Enjolras loved it. He felt Enjolras shiver against him.

"That feels nice."

"I have an idea for our first date now that we have that place," Grantaire said, continuing to kiss his neck.

"What's the idea?" Enjolras asked.

"Well, I could cook us a nice meal. Then, we can spend the rest of the night watching movies, talking, or anything that you fancy doing." Grantaire stopped kissing his neck and just held Enjolras close to him.

"I like the sound of that. When would this wonderful first date take place?"

"How does Saturday night sound to you?"

"Saturday night sounds perfect."

Enjolras turned in his arms and kissed him. The kiss lasted only seconds because Grantaire pulled away to go back to his own work.

***

On Saturday night, Enjolras had Adeline's help in sneaking out of the penthouse in order to get over to the apartment. He hadn't worked with Grantaire that day since he had Friday and Saturday off, so the last time that he had been able to hold Grantaire close was on Thursday night. He hadn't been able to make it to the apartment on Friday to help Grantaire make it their own due to his parents insisting he go out to dinner with them, Combeferre, and Combeferre's parents. Thankfully, texting and FaceTime had made up for some of it, but not much. He ached to hold and kiss his boyfriend again.

He had brought some of his homework along with him because he wasn't sure if Grantaire would have their meal cooked before he got there or not. Enjolras walked into the apartment and immediately smelled the delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. He set down his duffle and messenger bag and went to investigate what it was that his boyfriend was cooking for them.

"That smells good," Enjolras said.

Grantaire turned and smiled. "I thought I heard you come in." He greeted Enjolras with a kiss. "I'm making chicken fajitas from my grandmother's recipe. It's almost ready. I have about 20 minutes of cooking left."

"Great. I'll work on some homework while you finish," Enjolras said. Grantaire didn't say anything, only nodded.

Enjolras grabbed his bag from where he left it and went to sit on the bed. It was soft and comfortable, and he immediately sank into it. He loved it. Enjolras took his assignment out of his bag and started working on it. Enjolras lost himself in his homework that he was only pulled out of his trance when he felt Grantaire's lips on his neck.

Enjolras closed his eyes. "I thought you were finishing the cooking."

"I'm just waiting for the rice to finish cooking in the microwave," Grantaire said against his neck.

"You shouldn't be distracting me because I need to get this done," Enjolras said.

"Work on it tomorrow," Grantaire said.

Enjolras rolled his eyes, giving into Grantaire as he returned to kissing his neck. Feeling Grantaire's teeth scrape against his neck sent goosebumps across his skin. He pushed his homework away, he turned around so that he could kiss Grantaire. He found himself being lowered to the bed as they continued to kiss. Grantaire pressed himself as close to Enjolras as he could. Enjolras brought his hands through his curls with a moan escaping from his mouth to Grantaire's.

Grantaire smiled against his mouth at the sound. He started to kiss down Enjolras's jaw and neck. Enjolras could feel his shirt start to ride up as Grantaire's hand explored his stomach. His pants were starting to grow tighter. He could feel that Grantaire was in a similar position.

Grantaire's hand explored Enjolras's body, and soon found its way to the belt buckle of his boyfriend's jeans. Immediately, though, Grantaire felt Enjolras freeze and press a hand against his chest, pushing him away.

Grantaire moved away from him, sitting up on his knees. "Babe, you okay?"

Enjolras was breathing heavily as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. His lips were swollen and his curls mussed. "I was into it. I was, I swear."

"Okay." Grantaire bit his lip. "I'm sensing a but, though."

Enjolras's face flushed a deep red. "I've never...um...I've never been intimate with anyone...like that...before."

The only thing Grantaire said was, "I see."

"I love you, Nic, but I'm just not ready for that yet," Enjolras assured him. "I'm sorry."

Grantaire's eyes immediately snapped to his. "What are you sorry for?"

"You're experienced in this type of thing, Nic. I'm not. I've only ever engaged in kisses and make out sessions," Enjolras said.

Grantaire reached for Enjolras's hand. "Okay, firstly, I'm not that experienced. I've only had two active sexual partners. My boyfriend I had last year and the guy from Valentine's Day." Enjolras flinched at the reminder of that guy. "And those encounters were mostly blowjobs and hand jobs. Secondly, yes, I like sex and of course, I want you. I mean, have you seen you? Who wouldn't want you?" Enjolras blushed, slightly embarrassed. "But, I'm not going to force it on you, and if you honestly think I would, you don't know me at all. It's something that I want you to be absolutely sure that you want. So, thirdly, we will take this as slow as you want, okay?" Enjolras nodded his head, but Grantaire could still see the insecurity in his eyes and knew it would be a continued conversation. He brought Enjolras's hands up to his mouth to kiss them. "I love you."

Enjolras's smile was small. "I love you, too."

"Okay." Grantaire ran his thumb over his cheekbone. "Our dinner should be ready now." He stood up from the bed, held out his hand for Enjolras to take, and walked them into the kitchen. "I only made classic chicken fajitas. Onions, peppers, chicken, beans, and of course, a tortilla. With sour cream and/or guacamole. Then, you can choose Mexican rice or regular rice or both. I don't care. Go crazy." He finished serving the food and turned off all the appliances.

Enjolras grabbed a plate and started dishing himself some food. Then, when he was finished, he got his water bottle from his bag and sat down on the couch to eat. Grantaire joined him five minutes later. He sat down and pressed play on the movie that Enjolras hadn't realized was waiting for them.

He looked at Grantaire. "What are we watching?"

"Take a guess?"

Enjolras glanced down at the coffee table, only to see the case sitting there. " _City of Bones_?"

"You cheated," Grantaire teased.

"It's not like I wouldn't have known within the first seconds of the movie since you see the title card right at the beginning," Enjolras said.

Grantaire shook his head, affectionately, at his boyfriend before settling in next to Enjolras, so that they could eat and watch the movie.

Once they were finished, Enjolras placed their plates on the coffee table before cuddling up to Grantaire by wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his head on his chest, curling his feet underneath him. Grantaire wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer to him. Then, he took one of Enjolras's hands in his, placing their joined hands on his lap. The movie got to the point where Clary, Jace, Isabelle, and Alec head to Dorothea's to retrieve the Mortal Cup.

"I always get angry over how much they changed from the book," Enjolras commented.

"Oh, I know. I just ignore the changes and try to enjoy the move," Grantaire said.

Enjolras smiled, but didn't say anything more to enjoy the rest of the movie. When the movie ended, Grantaire stood up to take it out of the DVD player.

"I actually got this as a Christmas present. I was going to buy it when I was at the store with my family's housekeeper, Ella, but she stopped me by telling me that I couldn't. I knew then what my Christmas present from her was." Grantaire took the plates into the kitchen.

"I quickly stopped at the store to purchase it before work the day it was released. I couldn't wait." Enjolras flushed.

"It really means so much to me that the thing that brought us together were these books," Grantaire said. "So, I have something for you. It was actually meant to be a late birthday/Christmas present, but it took a while to find them all, so…" Grantaire went to grab the present from the closet.

He brought the gift bag back to Enjolras and handed it to him. Enjolras took the tissue paper out before reaching for the present. Grantaire had been cruel in his wrapping. He had put them in a gift bag with tissue paper, but he wrapped each book in a box individually. Enjolras looked at him, incredulously when he pulled out the first one.

"You'll know what they are the moment you open it, so I wanted to make it slightly difficult to get them out," Grantaire said.

Enjolras quickly opened the first present. He gasped softly when he saw what it was. The French edition of _City of Lost Souls_. He looked back up at Grantaire. "You didn't?"

"I did." Grantaire shrugged. "You said you wanted to read them in French. It took me a while to find them, but there you go. I hope you like it."

Enjolras quickly finished unwrapping all of them before placing them in order on the coffee table. He grabbed Grantaire's hand, pulling him back on the couch to kiss Grantaire.

"I take that as a yes," Grantaire said when they pulled away.

"What do you think?" Enjolras smiled at him. His fingers still in Grantaire's hair. Grantaire gave him another quick peck.

"I have a question. Is there more in that backpack than homework?"

"Like what?"

"Like overnight clothes." He saw the look on Enjolras's face. "I'm not asking you for sex. I want to sleep in the same bed as you, but I want to do just that. Sleep."

Enjolras's face turned red again. "I kind of hoped you would ask because yes it does."

"Good." Grantaire kissed him. "You go get ready for bed. I'll put the food away."

Enjolras did just that. He only had plaid red pajama pants and an old t-shirt. Then, he ran his fingers through his curls quickly. Enjolras cleaned his face before brushing his teeth. Once his nightly routine was done, he walked out and placed his bag on the couch. Enjolras crawled onto the bed.

"Bathroom's yours, love."

Once Grantaire was finished putting the leftover dishes away, he went to change and do his own nightly routine. While he did that, he asked Enjolras a question. "So, how was Adeline going to cover for you tonight?"

"She was going to tell my parents that I wasn't feeling good and not to bother me. Not that they would actually come check to make sure I was okay, anyway."

Grantaire finished his routine and left the bathroom. He was dressed in basketball shorts and an old band t-shirt. He walked over to the bed, crawling in.

"What did you tell your parents?"

"Nothing. They are in Chicago for the weekend," Grantaire said. "Who's taking care of Angel?"

"Mary and Adeline. I trust that they will take good care of her. Of course, the more we do this, I might start bringing her with me."

"Good. I've been anxious to meet that cat since you first told me about her. I love that your phone background is a picture of you cuddling with her."

Enjolras blushed bright red. "Well, she is my favorite non-human. It will be weird sleeping tonight and not feeling her weight at the foot of my bed. Or waking in the morning to her purring in my face as she begs for breakfast. More often than not she's my alarm in the morning. Always five to 10 minutes before my actual alarm is supposed to go off."

Grantaire started to laugh. "I can just imagine the grumpy look on your face when you're woken up by an adorable kitten."

"Yeah, it's not fun," Enjolras said.

They started to kiss again for a few moments until Enjolras pulled away, his expression serious.

"What's wrong?" Grantaire asked.

"Nothing's wrong. I just have a question I need to ask you," Enjolras said.

Grantaire waited expectantly for the question. "Okay. What's the question?"

"Well, you know how my parents' Masquerade Ball is in June, right?" Enjolras asked. Grantaire nodded. Enjolras reached for Grantaire's hand. "Okay, do you think it would be possible for you to get a mask and sneak in?"

"What?" Grantaire asked. His voice was light like he wanted to laugh at the question.

"If you come, it could be our first public appearance because with the mask no one would know that it's us," Enjolras said.

"I know. But your parents have already commanded that you bring a girl to that godforsaken ball. Don't you think they would get suspicious if they caught their son dancing with another man?" Grantaire asked.

"Not if I change my mask, so they don't recognize that it's me," Enjolras countered.

Grantaire did finally chuckle at that. "You'd still be recognized because of your hair, babe."

Enjolras rolled his eyes in a huff. "Okay. Fine. It's not that big of a deal. Just forget I asked."

Enjolras laid down on the bed, rolling away from Grantaire, refusing to look at him. Grantaire sighed. None of that came out right, and now he had gone and made Enjolras upset. Of course, he wanted to go to the ball, but he also felt like it was a risk. A risk he didn't know if he was willing to take when they had just agreed to try to be together less than a week and a half ago. 

Grantaire glanced over at Enjolras, but his boyfriend moved away from his touch. "Babe, I'm sorry." Still no reaction out of Enjolras. "Jules, I'm sorry, but what were you expecting me to say?"

Enjolras, still not looking at him, said, "That you would at least try."

"Babe, I want to go. Believe me, I do. But it just feels like an unnecessary risk, especially when we've only been together for a week."

Enjolras finally rolled back over. "I know, but I just thought that it would be nice to actually be seen in public with you. We'd have masks on. I figured that you'd jump at that chance, too."

Grantaire reached for his hand and kissed the back. "I know. I'll think about it, okay. That's all I can give you right now."

"That's all I ask."

***

_June 2014_

Three and a half months had been full of secret meetings, phone calls, video calls, text messages, and Saturdays spent at the apartment.

Despite them only being together for nearly four months, it felt like they had known each other forever, and in their heart of hearts, they knew that their love was forever — neither cared that they were only 16. The secrecy of their relationship, however, was hard as they had expected it would be, especially with the deep yearning to be able to be seen in public together that they both felt.

Enjolras adored Grantaire and he loved being his boyfriend, but he hated that it was only in secret. Anybody could flirt with Grantaire, and while he did put a stop to it if it happened, Enjolras could lay no claim on him and vice versa. He knew that Grantaire hated the secrecy just as much as he did. He would be eternally grateful that it all just melted away when they were in the apartment together, and Enjolras wouldn't trade that for anything.

The day of the Masquerade Ball finally arrived. The event was held annually in the ballroom of the Lotte New York Palace Hotel. Enjolras's parents always arrived extra early to make sure that everything was in order — decorations, food, DJ, security — and nothing out of place. They also double checked the list to make sure there were no signs of any Grantaire's on it.

Enjolras had arrived with Adeline about an hour and a half before the ball started. For his suit, he had decided on a black suit with a white shirt and a midnight blue tie. His first mask that he would wear for when his parents opened the ball and for about an hour after it started was black with the design of waves in different shades of blue with glitter around the eyes. The second mask, the one he had sent a picture of to Grantaire in case he was able to sneak in, was black made from a cloth-like material and had indigo thread that had been sewn in different swirls and shapes. 

Having put his foot down by refusing to invite anyone, his parents were pushing that he at least dance with a few of the girls. Enjolras rolled his eyes, but figured that the best way to keep his parents off his back that night was to appease them. So, he decided that he'd share a dance with Cosette and maybe a few of his cousins that made it to the ball, but that was it.

Enjolras finished getting ready and was making his way down to the ballroom. He checked his phone, but there was still no word from Grantaire about whether he was going to be there or not.

Enjolras noticed that guests had begun to arrive, so he quickly put on his mask and walked into the ballroom. He didn't do much as he watched his parents stand at the door and greet every single guest. Enjolras saw Adeline make her way around the room, mingling with the other guests. He looked around the room at the decorations and people and remembered quite clearly what it was about this night that he hated so much. It was fucking pretentious that it made Enjolras want to hurl.

He was forced to stand next to his parents and they officially opened the ball. Enjolras had to fight every nerve in his body to not scream when they made a joke about how happy they were that the people there were their closest friends and how thankful they were for them. It was all so painfully fake. After his father finished his speech, the ball officially started. Enjolras quickly got away from his parents as the music started playing loud enough that he almost couldn't hear himself think. 

He scanned the room, desperately searching for any sign of dark curls that closely resembled Grantaire's. But no one that looked like his boyfriend popped out at him. Enjolras continued to scan the room as he picked up a glass of punch. Then, he found himself sitting at the table that Adeline was sitting at. He could feel his grandmother's gaze on him.

"Alright, my boy," Adeline said, "I know you hate this party and you're anxious to see if your boyfriend will make an appearance, but you could at least pretend like you are enjoying yourself."

Enjolras sighed. He set down his punch cup. "I know, but it's hard when this night is fucking pretentious and I have no idea if he will even show up."

She reached over to squeeze his hand, smiling. "Have faith. I know you told me that he thought it was an unnecessary risk, but he might surprise you."

Enjolras didn't say anything. "Umm...Grandma, how do you feel about the rivalry, honestly? Do you ever feel like it's grown tiring and ridiculous?"

She cleared her throat, took a sip of her punch, and said, "Of course...I think that it's time to let bygones be bygones. It's been going on for over 90 years. The families need to just give it a rest, especially when their sons are in love."

"Have you tried to convince my father to just let it go?" Enjolras asked.

"Yes, but you have to remember that your father doesn't listen to a word I say, even though I'm the family matriarch," Adeline replied. "If he listened to me, do you really think that I would have allowed them to force you to keep your sexual orientation a secret?"

Enjolras shook his head. "No. Of course, not." He didn't say anything for a while. His eyes found the violet tablecloth. "I just wish that they would just listen, even if only for a moment, to what those around them are saying."

"I know, sweetheart," she leaned across the table again to squeeze his hand.

"I'm going to go get a refill on my punch and keep looking for him." Enjolras stood up from the table.

He walked to the punch table, glancing at his watch to see how much longer he had until he had to switch his masks. Even though Enjolras continued to glance around for his boyfriend, he was beginning to feel like it was pointless. After all, Grantaire had told him that he was unsure about coming, so he had no idea what Grantaire's mask looked like if he did get one. Of course, for all he knew, Grantaire was in that room, waiting for him to slip the different mask on.

***

Grantaire snuck his suit out of his home by putting it in his car when nobody was home. If he came downstairs dressed in it, he would be asked questions he couldn't answer. After Enjolras had first asked him, he had stayed on his maybe and they hadn't talked about it since that night. Until a few days ago, Grantaire had opened his locker to find an invitation with a note from Enjolras.

_My sweet Nicolas,_

_I know what you said about attending the ball, but if you do decide that your maybe is a yes, here's an invitation for you. I can't think of anyone, other than you, that I want to spend this horrible night with._

_I love you with all my heart. 💝_

_With hugs and kisses,_

_Your Julien_

_P.S. If you do decide to come, please don't tell me. Let me be surprised and hopeful._

_P.P.S. I enclosed a picture of the mask that I'll be wearing, so you can come and find me. 😉_

After that, Grantaire's maybe had turned into a definite yes. He hadn't told Enjolras that he was going to come since that had been his wish.

Grantaire's suit was just a simple black suit with a white shirt and black tie. He hadn't wanted to buy dress shows, so he just stayed with his green Converse. His mask was a simple black half mask.

He got to the hotel where the event was. Thankfully, all he had to do was flash his invitation and he was let in. No one stopped to ask his name. 

Grantaire stepped into the ballroom. He looked around at the decorations. The room was lit up in blues and purples to match the theme. Cutouts of trees that were just branches surrounded the room. From the ceiling hung silver stars and a half moon in the middle of the room above the dance floor. Next to the dance floor, stood a platform that held the DJ and his equipment. Then, around the room were round tables that had purple or blue tablecloths with tealight candles and blue and purple marble gems in the center. There was also a snack table.

Now that he was inside, his plan was to stand in the shadows until he saw someone with the mask that Enjolras had given him a picture of.

***

Enjolras had hidden his second mask behind one of the decorations of the room. He slipped his first mask off and slipped on the second. He stepped out from behind the tree and went to stand near the snack table to wait for Grantaire.

Hopefully, if Grantaire showed up, it would be the first masquerade ball that would be fun for Enjolras. He had a little game planned for his boyfriend. A little scavenger hunt, so to speak.

A scavenger hunt that would end with Enjolras telling Grantaire that he was ready to give himself to him completely.

Ever since their first date, they had agreed to test the waters of what Enjolras was comfortable with when they made out until he felt ready to take the next step. Grantaire could kiss down his neck. His hand could explore the skin under his shirt. Then, there was once where they had removed their shirts and kissed every inch of each other's chests. But that was as far as they had gone. Their hands had always stayed above their waists.

But the more they tested the waters, the more Enjolras started to crave. The desire for Grantaire's hands to be everywhere at once on his body grew. It had gotten to the point where he was so sexually frustrated that he would regularly get off to the thought of his boyfriend in the shower. He wanted Grantaire, desperately, and tonight, he hoped that he would get him. He had made a detour to the apartment before coming to the hotel in order to stock it up with lube and condoms just in case. He made the conscious decision, though, to push thoughts of sex out of his mind as he waited for Grantaire.

Enjolras didn't dare move around the room, knowing it would make it harder for Grantaire to find him.

***

Grantaire moved out of his hiding spot to walk around the room. Searching for a black mask with indigo design. He walked near the snack table and spotted it. He made a silent shout of excitement before walking toward his boyfriend.

He walked up behind Enjolras, snaking his arms around his waist. Moving his mouth down to his ear to whisper, "You looked stunning, baby."

***

Enjolras didn't even jump when the arms came around his waist. Instead, he sank into them and grinned.

"You look stunning, baby," Grantaire whispered.

"You really think so?" Enjolras questioned.

Grantaire's lips dragged across Enjolras's neck. A small whimper escaped his boyfriend's mouth. "Oh, yes. You dressed in a suit like this does things to my heart and other parts of me."

Enjolras flushed at that. He felt satisfied in knowing that Grantaire wanted him just as bad as he did. He turned in Grantaire's arms unable to handle the movement of his mouth against his neck. Enjolras wanted those lips on his and smashed their mouths together, not caring who was looking. They kissed for what felt like hours, careful to not disturb each other's masks.

"I'm so glad you decided to come," Enjolras whispered against his mouth.

"I am too," Grantaire replied. "I didn't decide to come until I found the invitation in my locker."

Enjolras kissed his boyfriend again. "God, I love you so much." He felt Grantaire smile.

"So, now that I'm here, what do you plan to do with me?"

Enjolras pulled away, but stayed in Grantaire's arms. Grantaire could see heat in his eyes. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

"Oh, I like this game." Grantaire pulled Enjolras back in for a kiss.

"We are going to play a little scavenger hunt game. As I waited for you, I hid a few clues around the room and hotel. You've got to find all of them," Enjolras explained the rules. He pulled Grantaire's arms from around his waist.

"But I just found you," Grantaire protested.

Enjolras placed a finger on his lips. "No, no, no. None of that. Or else, you won't get your prize. And I think you'll very much like your prize," Enjolras said in a seductive voice that went straight to Grantaire's cock. Enjolras walked around Grantaire, wrapped his arms around him, and whispered in his ear, "Here's the first clue, my darling."

Enjolras handed him an envelope, but when Grantaire turned around, his boyfriend had vanished from sight. Grantaire sighed as he opened the envelope.

_I am so ecstatic that you decided to come, my love. But before we have a night of fun, you must find all five clues. Hurry up because I'll be waiting! 😉_

_Clue #1: As I waited for you, my love, I had to walk around the room. Search the snack table, you may find clue #2!_

Grantaire placed the envelope inside his jacket pocket. He walked to the snack table to search for the clue. He found it, sticking to the tree behind the snack guy. He walked around the table to grab the white envelope with "Love" written across it.

_Clue #2: Congratulations, you found me! Now, leave the room and search for clue #3 in the lobby. I may be in an obscure place, so look far and wide._

Grantaire pocketed that clue too as he made his way outside the ballroom, heading for the lobby. He searched for the clue, but it wasn't in any of the obvious places. Then, he looked on the railing of the stairs, and ah-ha!, there was the clue. Hiding in the railing of the landing. He walked up the stairs and pulled the clue from its hiding spot.

_Clue #3: This may be a little tricky. Clue #4 is hidden in a place where no one, but you will find it. Go to floor number eight and search the wall decorations. P.S. I'm sorry these aren't more romantic, but just know that I love you with all my heart._

Grantaire quickly found an elevator that would take him up to the 8th floor. 

Reaching the 8th floor, he looked behind the wall decorations as instructed, but true to Enjolras's word, it was hard to find. He searched and searched until he finally found it. Hidden in a painting that was full of colors. He only noticed the clue because of the writing that said, "My Nic".

_Clue #4: You're getting warmer, my love. You'll find the fifth and final clue sitting on a table covered in rose petals. Hint: go back down to the first floor._

Grantaire smiled, pocketing that clue too. He got back on the elevator and went down to the first floor. He started to search for tables until he found the one he was looking for. It was covered in pink, white, and red rose petals.

_Clue #5: You've found all the clues, my sweet Nic, but now you have to come find me to receive your prize. Follow the trail of rose petals, I promise I'll be waiting at the end. 😊😉_

Grantaire walked around the table and found the trail of petals. He followed the petals down halls upon halls until he saw Enjolras waiting at the end of one. Grantaire grinned when he saw his boyfriend, his mask off.

When he got to him, he pulled Enjolras into his arms. "I've found you."

"Yes, you did. And here's what your prize is." Enjolras pulled out one more envelope and handed it to him.

_My heart beats only for you. As yours does for me. But tonight when our bodies become one, our hearts will too._

_I love you,_

_Your Julien_

Grantaire finished reading the message and looked up at Enjolras. There was hesitation in his eyes knowing what the message was asking of him.

"Jules, are you sure?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras pulled Grantaire to him. "I've never been more sure of anything in my whole life."

Grantaire sighed. He looked into Enjolras's hopeful blue eyes. "Babe, I know what you are asking of me."

"Then, why aren't you agreeing and kissing me?"

Grantaire pulled out of his arms. "Because I need you to be absolutely, positively, 100% sure that you want this. That you want _me_."

"I am, Nic. I want to give myself to you. Only you."

Grantaire ran a hand through his curls. "Okay. But after we do this, Jules, you are mine and only mine. No one else's."

"You beautiful fool, don't you understand that I only want to be yours. You are mine and I am yours. I don't care if we are only 16," Enjolras admitted. "Now that that's been settled. Nicolas Grantaire, will you please make love to me?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Grantaire grinned. He pulled Enjolras to him and crashed their mouths together.

He backed Enjolras up against the wall, holding his hand out against the wall to soften the blow a little. Enjolras pushed his mask off of his head as he deepened the kiss and his fingers tangled themselves in Grantaire's curls.

Grantaire pressed himself against Enjolras. He needed as much physical contact between them as possible. He was desperate for it. Grantaire pulled his mouth away to kiss down Enjolras's jaw and neck. Enjolras moaned as he felt Grantaire's teeth scrape against his skin.

Grantaire pushed his leg in between Enjolras's. Another moan was released from Enjolras. He could feel his erection pressed against Enjolras's thigh while his lover's was pressed up against his own. Enjolras felt Grantaire's hand run down his body toward his leg. Grantaire wrapped his hand around one of Enjolras's thighs and pulled it up around his waist. The movement caused a third sharp moan to escape Enjolras's mouth.

"God, baby, I want you. I want you so fucking bad." Grantaire pressed kisses up Enjolras's jaw.

"I know, but we need to get to the apartment first," Enjolras whispered to his lover. "We need to be able to control ourselves long enough to get there."

Grantaire pulled away from Enjolras, placed their masks back over their faces. "Gotta make sure no one discovers us."

Enjolras laughed as he reached for Grantaire's hand. "Come on, you." Enjolras pulled him from their hiding spot and led him in the direction of the lobby. After all, it wasn't like he would be missed.

It took them about an hour after Enjolras made his request to make it to the apartment for they kept stopping to make out in alleyways and against walls and lampposts. They had taken off their masks the moment they were far enough away from the hotel. Once they made it to the apartment, Grantaire pressed Enjolras up against the door to continue kissing him as he searched his back pocket for the key. He unlocked the door and pushed Enjolras in the room, closing the door with his foot.

Enjolras's back hit the wall as Grantaire continued to attack his mouth with kisses. A minute later, Enjolras placed a hand on his chest and gently pushed him away.

"What?"

"Nothing. I…" he trailed off.

"You what? Come on, baby, tell me."

Enjolras didn't look at Grantaire for a few moments until he caught his breath and reached for his hands. "I don't want this to be just about us having sex."

"I know. It's not going to be."

"Okay, good." Enjolras turned his gaze down, sheepishly, then looked back at Grantaire. "Turn around."

Grantaire turned around and looked at the bed. It was covered in rose petals and unlit candles were spread out around the room. He turned back to Enjolras. "You definitely planned this."

Enjolras couldn't keep the smile off of his face. He pulled Grantaire back to him. "I did."

Grantaire pressed a light kiss to Enjolras's mouth. His hands found Enjolras's tie. He got it off and placed his hands under the suit jacket, pushing it down his arms. Grantaire pulled away, his face was bright and flushed. Enjolras kicked off his shoes and socks before telling Grantaire to take off his tie and suit jacket while he lit the candles.

Once all the candles were lit, Enjolras moved to the bed where Grantaire was standing. His boyfriend looked up at him, noticing the nervous look on his face.

"Hey, look at me. It's just me." Grantaire cupped his face. Enjolras took a deep breath. "You ready?"

"Yes. I want to do this," Enjolras replied.

Grantaire crawled onto the bed. He gestured for Enjolras to join him. They kneeled on the bed, looking at each other. Grantaire broke the hesitation by gently bringing his mouth to Enjolras's. From there the world seemed to slow down and it was just him and Enjolras.

Enjolras's fingers got tangled in Grantaire's curls as he pulled him closer. "I love you," he whispered against his mouth.

From his love's curls, his finger moved down to Grantaire's dress shirt. He started to undo the buttons one at time, his mouth still locked with his boyfriend's. When the buttons were loose, he pushed the shirt down Grantaire's arms and threw it to the floor. They pulled away from each other for Enjolras to inspect his chest and run his fingers over it.

"You're so beautiful." Enjolras kissed Grantaire's neck.

Enjolras's own shirt joined Grantaire's on the floor a few seconds later. "Not nearly as beautiful as you, my love." 

He kissed Enjolras again, pulling him down onto the bed. It felt like hours until they came back up for air. Grantaire stared at Enjolras, combing his fingers through his hair. Enjolras reached for his free hand and laced their fingers together.

"You have literal hearts in your eyes."

"Only because I'm so in love with you."

Enjolras leaned forward to kiss him again and this time, there was no holding back their passion for each other. He crawled over Grantaire, so that he was straddling him. He kissed Grantaire, hungrily. As he cupped his boyfriend's face, he could feel Grantaire's calloused, but warm fingers resting on his skin trying to pull him closer. An electric sensation went through Enjolras when he felt Grantaire's teeth bite down on his bottom lip. Grantaire pulled his lip into his mouth, allowing his tongue to seek entrance into Enjolras's mouth. Enjolras groaned into his mouth when their tongues met.

Overwhelmed with want and desire, Enjolras pulled away, whispering, "Please, Nicolas. Please."

Grantaire wrapped his arms around Enjolras's waist, flipping them. He sat up, feeling Enjolras's cock through his dress pants. He placed his hand on his love's stomach, then started to cover it in kisses. Unable to get enough of the soft and smooth skin, the kisses continued as he made his way upward. 

He wanted Enjolras more than he had ever wanted anybody in his entire life. He loved him. He was so thankful that Enjolras was allowing him to find the places that made him shiver. It was a surreal thought to him that he was the only one who would ever see Enjolras like this. The thought made his pants tighten even more.

His mouth continued its movements, kissing and leaving marks all over his boyfriend's chest. Grantaire felt Enjolras's hands tangle in his curls.

"God, Nicolas. Please," Enjolras groaned.

"I will, my love. I promise." Grantaire slithered up Enjolras's body in order to reach his neck. He kissed the jaw before he started to suck to leave a mark. When he pulled away, he sat up again. "There. That should do it."

"Do what?" Enjolras asked.

"Make sure you know exactly who it is that you belong to," Grantaire whispered before kissing him again. He could feel Enjolras smile against his lips. Grantaire pulled away and moved to sit in between Enjolras's legs. 

Enjolras watched his movements in anticipation. He had wanted this for so long, and now he was finally getting it. Hearing Grantaire say that he belonged to him had sent waves of electricity up and down his spine. He could feel tingles all the way down to his toes and fingers and his heart hammered in his chest. The nerves in his stomach were starting to grow because he wanted this to not just be good for him, but Grantaire too.

Enjolras leaned forward to watch as Grantaire's fingers undid the buckle of his pants. Then, proceed to pull the zipper down. Grantaire's green eyes found him as his hands moved to the waistband of his pants, asking him for permission. Enjolras gave it without a hint of hesitation. Grantaire tried to remove the pants in a sexy way. Something he succeeded in doing for the right leg, but the left leg, he fumbled causing Enjolras to start giggling.

"Have I mentioned you have a beautiful laugh?" Grantaire asked, throwing the pants to the floor.

"No, but thank you," Enjolras said.

Grantaire started to kiss up his calves and thighs, but as he moved, he felt Enjolras start to shake. He paused his movements to come face to face with Enjolras.

"Are you alright? Baby, you're trembling." Grantaire cupped his face. He peppered feather-light kisses all over his face.

"I'm fine. I'm just nervous. And excited," Enjolras assured.

"I'll make this good, don't worry," Grantaire replied, kissing his cheek.

Enjolras closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths. Then, he told Grantaire to continue after opening his eyes.

"Since you planned this, did you also get everything that we'll need?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras opened the drawer of the bedside table to grab the lube and a condom, handing them to Grantaire. Hands shaking and filled with hesitation, Enjolras undid the buckle of Grantaire's pants. Understanding what his boyfriend wanted, Grantaire got off the bed to take them off. Then, he crawled back in between Enjolras's legs. 

He brought his lips to the area above the waistband of his boyfriend's briefs. Grantaire heard Enjolras groan above him as he shivered again. His fingers ghosted over the skin above the briefs before pulling them down. Grantaire sat up on his knees to finish pulling them off. Once Enjolras was completely bare to him, Grantaire ran his hands over his legs.

"You're magnificent." Grantaire's right hand rested on his thigh. He noticed that Enjolras's face was bright red.

As he had removed every piece of clothing from Enjolras, it felt like he was unwrapping something precious, and in a way, he was. Enjolras had never done this before and Grantaire wanted to do whatever he could to make it good for him.

"Baby, if you want to back out of doing this, this is your last chance," Grantaire said.

Enjolras sat up, reaching for Grantaire's hand. "I don't want to. I told you at the hotel. I want to do this."

"Okay." Grantaire reached for the bottle of lube. He placed a hand on Enjolras's shoulder. "Lie back.

Enjolras did as he was asked. Grantaire uncapped the bottle, squeezing some lube on his fingers. He nudged Enjolras's legs open and slowly moved his pointer finger to his entrance. Grantaire watched Enjolras's face as he started to push the finger inside. He heard Enjolras hiss, so he immediately started to soothe and calm his boyfriend.

"You good?" Grantaire asked. 

Enjolras reached for his free hand, squeezing it to tell him that he was okay. Grantaire squeezed back before taking a deep breath.

Grantaire moved the finger around the tight muscle, keeping his eyes on Enjolras's reactions. His heart swelled when he saw Enjolras's mouth form an 'O' and small sighs echo in the room.

Enjolras had never felt something so wonderful as Grantaire opened him up. His nails scratched against the sheets. He was blinded by the pleasure and need that he didn't notice when Grantaire pulled out the one finger, but he did notice when he pushed two fingers in and started to scissor. He let out a cry of Grantaire's name with his head thrown back, back arched, and feet bracing against the bed.

Grantaire moved his fingers until they were massaging Enjolras's prostate every few movements. He could feel that Enjolras was shaking again. Not long after, he pushed three fingers inside him.

"God, Nic! Please!"

"I know, love, I know. Just a few more moments. I need to make sure that you're ready."

He abided by that promise because soon he was pulling out his fingers and removing his own boxers. He grabbed the condom, covered himself in lube, and lined himself with Enjolras's entrance. He looked at Enjolras, who was waiting in anticipation.

"You ready?"

"Just do it."

Grantaire slowly inched closer to his entrance before pushing the tip in. He watched Enjolras squeeze his eyes shut. He kissed Enjolras in order to swallow the groans and hisses as he pushed more of his cock into Enjolras. He paused his movements when he was fully sheathed inside of Enjolras. Enjolras felt the muscle stretch and it was painful, but it felt good at the same time.

"Am I hurting you?"

Enjolras bit his lip, locking eyes with Grantaire. "No. It's just weird. But it's a good weird."

"Wrap your legs around my waist, love. It might help with the discomfort." Grantaire felt Enjolras do just that. "Am I okay to move?"

Enjolras nodded. "Just start slow."

"Of course." Grantaire gave him a small kiss.

He slowly started to move his hips, a moan escaped Enjolras's mouth as he pulled out a little and pushed back in.

Enjolras didn't know where to place his hands, so he just placed them on Grantaire's biceps. He watched Grantaire's face as he moved. He had never felt anything like this, and there was no doubt in his mind that what he was feeling was love. Pure, unadulterated love.

"I love you," Enjolras said.

Grantaire captured his lips in kiss. He started to move a little bit more. Enjolras moaned into his mouth. He pulled away from the kiss, grasping at the air until he found one of Grantaire's hands. Grantaire placed their hands next to Enjolras's head on the pillow, attaching his mouth to the side of his neck.

Enjolras was breathing heavily as sighs and moans continued to escape. God, he loved this. But what they were doing now wasn't enough for him. He wanted — no, he needed more.

"I need more, Nic. Please. More." Enjolras sighed.

Grantaire's thrusts were smooth, but shallow. He tried to get his pace to something that wasn't too slow, but not too fast either. He didn't want to go too fast and hurt Enjolras.

"This is perfect. Just stay like this, please?" Enjolras asked of his lover.

That's exactly what Grantaire did. He stayed at his pace as he kissed Enjolras and explored his body with his hands. Enjolras let go of his hand to cup his face, bringing his mouth down to his. Grantaire pulled away from the kiss, giving him a loving grin. Enjolras combed his hand through Grantaire's sweaty curls before tucking one of the curls behind his ear. His boyfriend leaned forward to rub their noses against each other.

Enjolras could feel heat start to pool in his stomach. He grabbed Grantaire's hand and brought it down to his cock. Grantaire started to stroke his cock in time with his thrusts.

"You feel so good, Nic." Enjolras moaned.

Grantaire kissed Enjolras one more time before he made his boyfriend see stars. His thrusts and strokes became faster, so that they would reach their releases within moments of each other. And he got his wish because right at the same time, both of them were crying each other's name as he released into the condom and Enjolras came all over their chests and his hand. Both were breathing heavily, and the candles caused the sweat on their skin to glisten.

"How was that, my darling?" Grantaire ran his thumb over Enjolras's cheekbone.

"Absolutely perfect," Enjolras replied, kissing him again.

Grantaire pulled out of Enjolras, who whimpered at the feeling. He disposed of the condom and rolled to lay next to Enjolras. Enjolras stared at Grantaire. Unable to look away, fearing he'd miss something beautiful on the other's man's face.

"Now, it's you who has heart eyes."

"I'm not sorry." Enjolras started to run his fingers through the sweaty curls of the other man.

"What?" Seeing the glum look on his face, he placed his hand over Enjolras's, pausing his movements.

"I never imagined that I would have this," Enjolras replied. "I'm so deeply, truly, irrevocably, unapologetically in love with you."

Grantaire leaned across him to kiss him. "I love you, too, Julien Enjolras."

Enjolras started to laugh. A confused look appeared on Grantaire's face. "I'm an Enjolras, you're a Grantaire."

"Yes, we have established that fact. What about it?" Grantaire asked.

"Our families are rivals, but I love you and you love me. We just had sex. If our parents found us here, they'd skin us alive," Enjolras replied.

Grantaire joined in his laughter. "Well, no matter what they say, it's never going to change how we feel."

Enjolras was silent for a few moments before he brought their lips together again, rolling on top of Grantaire. "No, it won't."

"Good." Grantaire sat up, wrapping his arms around Enjolras's waist. "Now, how do you feel about me ravishing you once again."

Enjolras only kissed him in reply before he found himself on his back once again as Grantaire started to kiss every inch of available skin. He just closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling of his lover's lips caress his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdjR2lvIfJ4) that Grantaire sings during the talent show. Say what you will about the movie, but this song slaps!
> 
> You can see reference photos for Enjolras's and Grantaire's masks used in the masquerade balls [here](https://thechiefandhiscynic.blogspot.com/2020/12/reference-photos-for-until-my-dying-day.html).


	2. Part 2: Come What May

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **JUST A QUICK NOTE**
> 
> 1\. **CONTENT WARNINGS FOR SEX** : Anal sex, anal fingering, oral sex, and mentions of sexting and phone sex.

_March 2016_

Enjolras squealed loudly as Grantaire continued to tickle him. He tried to twist away from him, but his lover's grip was tight. His laughs, squeals, and screams just caused Grantaire to laugh even more.

"Stop!" he laughed.

"I will if you take it back." Grantaire tickled the sides of his body knowing that was where Enjolras was the most ticklish.

Enjolras squealed and laughed again. "Okay, okay." He laughed some more. "Okay. I take it back. I take it back."

Grantaire tackled him to the bed with a kiss before pulling him away. "Good because we decided seven months into this that you and I love each other the exact same amount. There is none of this 'I love you more' shit."

Enjolras brought their mouths back together. "I really need to get home. It's getting later and later. It's almost noon."

"Who cares?" Grantaire replied, kissing Enjolras's neck. Knowing that kissing his neck would make his boyfriend surrender.

"I care. You know my parents, love," Enjolras said.

Grantaire sighed. "I do. But I haven't had the chance to fuck you since four this morning."

"You fucked me three times last night and that was before it even hit midnight. Then, once around 1 A.M. and again around 4," Enjolras replied.

"I know, but you know how much I love watching you come apart beneath me, and I need something to tie me over until we are able to sneak back over here for a night again." Grantaire tried to convince him. He knew that his boyfriend would give in eventually. He just needed to keep enticing him.

Enjolras rolled his eyes, playfully. "It's not like we don't sext or even engage in phone sex every once in a while. The amount of sexting photos I have of you should be illegal. You should be illegal." Those photos were locked away in a special password protected folder of a password protected folder on his phone that nobody would ever guess the password too. Those photos were for his eyes only and oh boy, _oh boy_ , did he have to take a cold shower after looking through them.

"As should you. It's ridiculous how many times I've pulled you into the janitor's closet at school to suck you off. God, baby, you're so sexy and I love you so much." Grantaire nibbled at his ear. "God, please, let me fuck you. Please."

Enjolras answered him by grabbing the lube and flipping them, so Grantaire was on his back. "You can, but only if I'm riding you."

Grantaire wrapped his hand around Enjolras's cock and started stroking in order to get him hard.

"Fuck!" Enjolras groaned, biting his lip. "Warn a guy next time."

"As if you didn't know I was going to do it. Now, are you opening yourself up or am I doing it for you?"

Enjolras leaned forward and started to suck a mark on Grantaire's neck. After the mark was made, he licked his tongue over it. "Hmmm...maybe I should open myself up, so I can watch your mouth start to water and your eyes widen with every obscene noise from my mouth. Would you like that?"

"God, I hate whoever taught you how to talk dirty," Grantaire said.

"That was you, my darling." Enjolras swiped his tongue over one of Grantaire's nipples.

Grantaire groaned. "And I curse the day that I ever did."

Enjolras sat up and reached for the lube. He uncapped the bottle and poured some over his fingers. He reached behind him, placing a finger at his entrance. His eyes locked on Grantaire's as he pushed the finger inside, letting out a sharp, breathy moan. He felt Grantaire's cock twitch against his leg. A wicked smile appeared on his face in response. He pushed the finger deeper inside of himself as more words of filth poured from his mouth. He suppressed the giggle that threatened to escape because he knew exactly what it was doing to his boyfriend. He pulled out the one finger to add more lube and pushed back in with two. 

He continued to torture Grantaire with the noises and words. "Oh, this feels so good. God, love, I can't wait to replace my fingers with your cock. Have I ever mentioned to you how much I love it when your cock is inside me because I do. I love it so much."

"Please, baby. I want to be inside of you. Please," Grantaire's voice dripped with want. "You are more than likely still stretched enough from last night and this morning, so please just stop this torture."

"What are the magic words?"

"I love you."

Enjolras pulled his fingers from inside himself. He leaned forward to kiss Grantaire. "Now, you know the rule when I'm riding you. Your hands stay here." He grabbed Grantaire's wrists and pinned them above his head. "And you don't move until I tell you. Also, one last thing. I have a request."

"And that is?"

"One of these days, you let me take you apart and fuck you. Would you like that?" Enjolras asked, letting his fingers wonder south toward Grantaire's cock, so he could line it up with his entrance.

"Yes, yes. I would like that—oh my God, fuck!" Grantaire cried as his cock was wrapped around Enjolras's tight heat. "You are a fucking menace, you know that."

"So you've told me. But you have no one, but yourself to blame. You have spoiled me when it comes to sex these last two years. And the more sex we have, the more I fall in love with being close to you like this." Enjolras paused his movements. He wanted to relish in the feeling of Grantaire's cock inside of him. He had felt it so many times, but he was never tired of it.

"Would you just get on with it?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras put his hands up in surrender before placing them on Grantaire's chest. He slowly started to move his body until he found a rhythm that worked. "Oh, yes. Yes."

Grantaire's eyes slipped closed to take pleasure in the feeling of Enjolras pulling off, and then sinking back down on his cock. He had placed his hands behind his head, keeping them there until Enjolras told him he could touch him. Grantaire opened his eyes to watch Enjolras as he moved.

His eyes were closed and he was biting his bottom lip as his movements pleasured him. Enjolras had thrown his head back, letting Grantaire admire the beautifully curved neck that currently had two very noticeable love bites on it and one that was fading. Grantaire's eyes slowly raked down Enjolras' body, landing on his thigh muscles as they worked to help Enjolras move. He knew by the end of their coupling his lover's thighs would be burning, but his boyfriend would never complain. From his thighs, his eyes landed on Enjolras's cock, bobbing as he moved. He was entranced by it, but his gaze was pulled back to Enjolras's face when his boyfriend slotted their mouths together in a hot, open-mouthed kiss.

God, Grantaire loved Enjolras, so much. He loved what they were currently doing. He loved every moment that he had been able to spend with him in the last two years.

Enjolras pulled away from the kiss and placed his hands back on his chest. They both let out a moan as Enjolras's angle changed. Enjolras still hadn't said a word about him moving or being able to touch him, so he just laid there, continuing to admire his lover's body.

Enjolras's curls were already plastered to his neck, forehead, and face with sweat. His body was dripping in sweat too. Grantaire wanted so badly to lean forward and lick the sweat off and taste the saltiness of Enjolras's skin, but he couldn't. Not yet.

Instead, his eyes fell to the black curved letters that were inked over Enjolras's heart. It was a tattoo with the words: _Until My Dying Day, 02-18-14._ Grantaire had a matching one over his own heart. The date was their anniversary, February 18th, 2014, and then the "Until My Dying Day" which were lyrics from one of Enjolras's favorite songs, "Come What May" from his favorite film of all-time, _Moulin Rouge!_ One night after they had watched the film, Enjolras had declared that "Come What May" was their song, and ever since, every time they said goodbye, one of them would always say, "I will love you. Until my dying day".

They had to do the tattoos secretly and separately. Having already agreed to the design and placement, Grantaire had gone to Bahorel's regular tattoo artist while Enjolras went to one that Jehan had recommended to Grantaire, and thankfully no one apart from them, Lamarque, Adeline, and Mary knew about them.

Those thoughts were pushed from his mind when he felt Enjolras's nails raking down his chest. Grantaire's eyes went back to his boyfriend's face, he was still biting his lip, eyes wide as he continued to move.

"Oh, no, baby. I want to hear you," Grantaire insisted.

Enjolras let out a loud moan before desperately reaching for Grantaire's hands. "Put your hands on me."

Grantaire placed his hands on his hips. They had done this enough times to know that "put your hands on me" also meant "move". Grantaire started to thrust up into Enjolras, matching his boyfriend's movements.

"Nic, yes! Yes!" Enjolras groaned.

Grantaire sat up, needing to get his mouth on Enjolras's body. His boyfriend screamed at the movement of his cock. Grantaire tangled his hand in Enjolras's curls, his grip tight as he kissed Enjolras's neck. He heard whimpering and sighing in his ear.

"Nic…" Enjolras sighed. "Oh, Nic, please. Please, fuck me."

"Okay. Do you want to say like this or do you want to be on your back?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras pulled off Grantaire's cock and laid down on the bed. Grantaire sat in between his legs, lining himself up, and sliding his cock into Enjolras. Enjolras's legs immediately tangled in his. His boyfriend let out the most delicious moan.

Grantaire knew exactly what his boyfriend wanted, but was going to work up to give him that. He started with slow and smooth thrusts before rapidly switching between rough and driving thrusts. It drove Enjolras into a frenzy.

After their first time, they had spent months figuring out what they both liked and didn't like during sex. Something that had been very important to both of them. They had been discovering what touches, caresses, movements, and kisses could get them aroused in the weeks leading up to their first time.

In their experimentation, it was clear that Enjolras was okay with pretty much everything. He adored being fingered. Blow jobs and hand jobs were good ways for them to take some of the edge off, if the desire for the other got to be too much. Grantaire hadn't been joking about how many times he had pulled Enjolras into a janitor's closet or behind the bleachers at school to do one or the other. He had only done it a few times because desperate times call for desperate measures. It also hit them with shots of adrenaline knowing that they could be caught at any moment. There had also been some testing of frottage. But Enjolras's favorite form of sex was anal sex and being fucked six ways from Sunday. It didn't matter what position. It was Enjolras's favorite. Point blank.

Enjolras would always return the favor for everything on the list, except one. He had never fucked Grantaire. Something that he didn't complain about. If Enjolras wasn't comfortable doing it, that was fine. But Grantaire hadn't been able to help the way his heart jumped earlier when Enjolras had requested to be allowed to try it one day.

The one thing that had taken a while to convince Enjolras to at least try was rimming. Eventually, he did agree to trying it. But after Grantaire had done it, Enjolras had told him that while he had enjoyed it, it wasn't something that would happen every time they were intimate. For that reason, rimming was extremely rare in their sex life. Since that first time, Grantaire had only done it one other time.

They had been sexually active in their relationship for a year when they decided to forgo the use of a condom. It had been an easy decision because 1) they were exclusive, there had been no doubt about that, and 2) they were tested every three months.

There had also been a discussion about the moments when they preferred to make love. Slow and gentle. All about the intimacy they shared and drawing in their soft caresses and lips trailing over their skin. Completely surrounded by their loves. And the times when they had sex for the sake of having sex. The times where it snowballed into Grantaire fucking Enjolras into the mattress and it was so hard and rough that his boyfriend left scratch marks down his back that started to bleed. The times when the screams from Enjolras could wake the whole apartment building and that side of the city. When Grantaire had discovered that Enjolras was incredibly vocal during sex, he had made it his life's mission to make Enjolras scream, and scream loud.

And thanks to these many days spent discovering and testing what was good and what wasn't, they had a perfectly healthy sex life.

"Fuck! More!" Enjolras cried.

Grantaire placed his hands on Enjolras's sides. He moved, groaned, and couldn't get enough of the noises Enjolras was making. Two years and loads of sex later, Grantaire still got drunk on Enjolras during these moments when he was completely laid out for him, crying and screaming about how good it felt.

"Is that good, baby?" Grantaire jerked fast in order to get the scream he wanted out of Enjolras. A scream that told him that his lover was being pleasured and to keep doing what he just did. "Come on, baby. Tell me how good it feels." He paused deep in Enjolras, then he pulled out before slamming back into him, hard and deep. There was no doubt in his mind that Enjolras would have a slight limp when he left later.

"Ahhh! Yes! Nic! Yes!"

Grantaire repeated the same movement. "Did that feel good, baby? Do you want me to do it again?"

"Yes! Please! It felt so good."

By this point, Enjolras's head was thrown back, buried in the pillows. His feet digging into Grantaire's ass. One hand was gripping and scratching at the sheets while the other was desperately trying to find something to hold onto that wasn't sheets. It eventually rested on the headboard. A grip so tight that his knuckles were white and shaking.

Grantaire smiled, wickedly. His hands gripped Enjolras's hips, tight enough to leave bruises. He paused his movements. He felt Enjolras's breath hitch as he readied himself for what was coming. They locked eyes and when Enjolras gave a slight nod, Grantaire knew he was ready for stars to explode behind his eyes. He pulled out once more. Grantaire lined himself, and when he entered Enjolras again, he started to pound his lover. Hard enough that the headboard banged against the wall and whatever was on the bedside table fell off. The noises from Enjolras couldn't keep up with his movements that all was coming from him were sighs, moans, and the unmistakable sound of fabric ripping from Enjolras's tight grip on the sheets.

Blinding pleasure. That was all Enjolras felt. Blinding pleasure that only Nicolas Grantaire could make him feel. It was magnificent.

Enjolras started to feel heat pool in his belly. He desperately wanted Grantaire's hands on him. He blindly grasped around for one of his hands. He found it and placed it on his throbbing cock. Their hands moved together as they stroked.

It quickly became too much for Enjolras. The feeling of Grantaire inside him. Their hands on his cock. The maddening desire for the man above him that seemed to never go away. All of that caused Enjolras to start breathing heavily and warn Grantaire of his imminent release, whispering, "I can feel it. God, Nic, don't stop. I'm going to...I'm going too…"

Grantaire placed his free hand on Enjolras's chest to try and steady him. "Come for me, baby. Come on."

With a scream of his boyfriend's name, Enjolras's release hit hard. Sweat dripped from his body and hair. He desperately tried to catch his breath. White, hot cum started to dribble all over Grantaire's hand and their chests.

Grantaire finished wringing his boyfriend's orgasm out of him. Then, he set to work on reaching his own. Careful not to overstimulate his boyfriend, Grantaire moved slowly and gently. He leaned over Enjolras, who had a dopey, but loving gaze on his face. He kissed Enjolras, gently.

"I love you," Enjolras whispered into the air between them.

Hearing that affirmation was enough for Grantaire. His own orgasm hit with a whispered cry of Enjolras's name and the release of his cum inside him.

As they both came down from the high, sweat and cum drying on their bodies with Grantaire trying to catch his breath, Enjolras ran a hand through his boyfriend's curls. He brought their mouths together once more. Grantaire pulled out of Enjolras, lying down next to him. He reached for the tissues on the table to clean himself and Enjolras of cum, trying to hurry because he could see his lover was waiting for him impatiently. Enjolras was always an aggressive, octopus cuddlier after they had sex.

He lay back down, and immediately Enjolras wrapped his arms around his waist and tangled their legs together. His head resting on his chest, above his heart. Now, Grantaire knew better than to try and move because if he dared to try, Enjolras's grip would tighten. Grantaire wrapped his arm around Enjolras's shoulder, running his fingers down his arm and across his back.

They both always loved these moments. Where everything was still and it was just them. All they could hear from the other was their breathing, and in Enjolras's case, Grantaire's heartbeat. Enjolras closed his eyes. Letting his mind wander over the last two years.

After Lamarque had gifted them with the apartment, they set out to make it feel like _theirs._ They had put up posters of their favorite bands and movies. Brought over clothes for their overnight stays. Grantaire had gone out and bought cheap paperback copies of _The Mortal Instruments_ and _The Infernal Devices_ , and any extra books in the series, so that they could have a set in the apartment since those books had been what brought them together. Enjolras had also brought over the French editions Grantaire had given him, which now included the French editions of _City of Heavenly Fire_ and _The Infernal Devices._ Their own personal collection remained at their respective home and was always growing.

 _City of Heavenly Fire_ had been released about two weeks before the 2014 masquerade ball. Both of them had finished the book in less than three days, unable to put it down. In their opinion, it was a satisfying end to the series, and as Enjolras had predicted, it was his favorite book in _The Mortal Instruments_ series.Grantaire still called _City of Lost Souls_ his favorite in _The Mortal Instruments._

Then, there was the novella series that followed Simon in the aftermath of _City of Heavenly Fire_ called _Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy._ Both of them had enjoyed those novellas, but still preferred the main novels in the series to the novellas.

A few days ago, _Lady Midnight,_ the first book in the sequel series, _The Dark Artifices_ was released. As was their tradition, Enjolras had gone with Adeline to the book signing, had seen Grantaire, but was unable to go near him. Both of them had enjoyed the new book, but since it was only the first book, it was too early to tell where it ranked in their favorites.

It was their own tradition that every year, they buddy read the books together (in publication order since it was both of their preferred reading order). Even though they had discussed the books with each other in-depth many times already, they still discussed them after every re-read because they always found new moments to discuss. They were currently buddy reading _Clockwork Prince._

They both still worked in the bookstore with Lamarque, Adeline, and Mary being the only people who still knew of their relationship. In the recent months, their own friends groups were starting to suspect that their respective friend was keeping a secret. Thankfully, their friends, or their family, had yet to identify what the secret was. It was growing substantially difficult to keep the secret of their relationship for that reason. They had needed to kick it up a notch with how careful they were with their words and stories.

To escape the ever watchful eye of their friends and family, they escaped to the apartment as often as they could and be in their own little world for a while. The only time the real world was allowed in was if there was something they absolutely needed to talk about. For the most part though, it was just them, and Enjolras wouldn't have it any other way.

Enjolras kissed Grantaire's chest, letting his hand make shapes. His boyfriend's fingers continued to trail down his arm in soft, barely there touches.

Grantaire kissed the top of his head. "So, what is that beautiful blond head of yours thinking about?"

"Just about how thankful I am that we've been able to keep this a secret for this long? I don't know what I would have done had we not been able too," Enjolras replied.

"It seems surreal. You would have thought by now someone other than Lamarque, Adeline, and Mary would have found out," Grantaire commented.

Enjolras hummed, then said, "But you know, eventually, we are going to have to tell our friends, and as much as I dread it, our parents."

"I know, love. But we'll tell them when we are ready for them to know. Not a moment before, right?" Grantaire asked.

"Absolutely." Enjolras leaned his head up, telling Grantaire he wanted a kiss.

They stayed there for a few moments longer before Enjolras looked at the clock, groaned, and reluctantly, pulled out of Grantaire's arms.

"I wish I could stay in bed with you forever, but I do need to get home." Enjolras pulled on his boxers.

Grantaire moved to sit behind him, resting a hand on the small of his back, kissing his shoulder. He sighed. "All right. You shower and I'll make breakfast." He glanced at the clock. "Or rather lunch."

"Okay." Enjolras kissed him quickly before standing up to grab clothes from a drawer. On his way to the bathroom, he kissed Grantaire again before disappearing to shower.

Grantaire got up from the bed, pulling on his boxers, and walked into the kitchen. He started the coffee. Then, he got the ingredients down for strawberry banana pancakes (Enjolras's favorite), bacon, and over easy eggs.

He was just plating the food when he heard the shower turn off and the door open. Enjolras placed his dirty clothes in his messenger bag before walking into the kitchen. Grantaire handed him his plate and mug of coffee. Enjolras sat down at the island.

"There's still no word from the college in London," Enjolras said.

"Jules, it'll take time. You only sent in the application two weeks ago," Grantaire replied.

"I know, but I'll be hearing from Dartmouth any day now." He stuck a forkful of pancakes in his mouth.

"Angel, it's going to be okay." Grantaire came to stand behind him, pressing kisses to his neck. He only ever called Enjolras "baby" if they were in bed together because he knew that it made his boyfriend positively _melt_ under his fingers. "Angel" or "Jules" was his nickname the rest of the time.

Enjolras brought his hand up behind Grantaire's head. "Are you still sure that moving to England with me is something that you want to do?"

"Jules, my taking a gap year is already set in stone. I can do art or make music from anywhere in the world, but you can only practice law from wherever you get your license. If you want to do that in London, you'll do it in London." Sensing the hesitation in his boyfriend, Grantaire forced the chair to swivel. He cupped Enjolras's face. "How many times do I have to tell you, Julien Enjolras? My home is wherever you are. I don't care if that sounds dumb because we're only 18, it's the truth."

Enjolras pulled Grantaire closer. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Grantaire kissed him, quickly. "Now, turn around and eat your flapjacks."

Enjolras laughed and swiveled the chair back around to eat his breakfast. Grantaire also started to eat his own.

Enjolras finished his breakfast first and went to put his plate in the sink. He walked into the living room to grab his bags. "I have to go now, love."

"I know. Text me when you get home, so I know you got home okay."

"Of course." Enjolras put his bag over his body. He walked over to Grantaire. "I love you. Until my dying day."

Grantaire pulled him in for a deep kiss. Then, he let him go. Enjolras turned around, walking to the door. He blew Grantaire a kiss, who mimed catching it. He smiled before he left the apartment.

***

Twenty minutes later, Enjolras was walking into the apartment, only to be pulled into the cove under the stairs by Adeline.

"I have something for you." Adeline held up a yellow Manila envelope with the logo of Dartmouth in the corner.

"Do my parents know?" Enjolras took it from her and opened it up. To the surprise of absolutely no one, the letter announced his acceptance to the Ivy League.

"No. I got it from the mail before they could see, but you won't be able to keep it from them," Adeline said.

Enjolras looked back up at her as he placed the letter back in the envelope. "I know." He bypassed her to make his way to the stairs.

Adeline followed after him, noticing the dejected look on Enjolras's face. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks," Enjolras said quietly. His phone burned a hole in his pocket as he desperately thought of Grantaire and how this was going to make him feel.

Adeline saw the sad look on his face. "Jules, everything will be alright between you and Nic. I'm sure of it."

Enjolras quickly glanced at her before nodding his head. "Okay. I'm just going to go up to my room."

When he got up to his bedroom, Enjolras pulled his phone out of his pocket to send a quick text to Grantaire.

**_Enjolras (1:14 P.M.): I made it home safe and sound. Love you. ❤️_ **

Enjolras sat his phone down on the bedside table before picking up the envelope. He pulled out the letter to read it again. After reading it, Enjolras crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it across the room. He could feel the angry, annoyance, and tears brewing, so he laid down on his bed and closed his eyes to calm down to avoid working himself into a panic attack. Before he knew it, and without meaning to, he fell asleep.

What woke him up was the sound of loud buzzing. He groggily reached his hand to the bedside table for his phone. Enjolras rolled over, clearing the sleep away from his eyes to see who it was. He also saw that the time was a little after four in the afternoon. He had been asleep for about two hours.

It was Grantaire, but he really didn't want to talk to his boyfriend after receiving the news about Dartmouth because he knew that if he heard Grantaire's voice he would start crying. He decided to let the call go to voicemail. Enjolras saw that he had messages from his friends, all of them asking if he was up to hanging out with them tomorrow afternoon.

**_Enjolras (4:06 P.M.): I have to start working on a final paper. Maybe some other time._ **

The only thing he received from his friends were sad faces, but he ignored them for the message that Grantaire sends him.

**_My Love 💘(4:08 P.M.): Hey, angel. I tried to call. Is everything alright?_ **

Enjolras felt tears prick in his eyes after reading the message.

Their plans were crumbling around them. The longer he went without hearing from the college he applied to in London, the larger the pit of dread grew in his stomach. The whole point for their move was to allow him to get out from under the foot of his parents and be able to be himself with the man that he loved by his side, but he worried that everything was going to be a pipe dream instead of a reality.

He started to compose a message to Grantaire, but then he questioned it and deleted it. He wrote another, but deleted that one too. Enjolras finally settled on.

**_Enjolras (4:15 P.M.): Sorry, love. I was taking a nap._ **

**_My Love 💘(4:16 P.M.): Is everything alright, though?_ **

**_Enjolras (4:16 P.M.): Everything's fine, my love. I'm going to be doing some homework now, so I'll message you later. Love you._ **

**_My Love 💘(4:17 P.M.): Okay. I love you, angel. 💙_ **

Enjolras wiped a tear away as he locked his phone and stood up from the bed. He grabbed his history book to start working on his homework. He continued working on homework until his clock read 7:45 P.M. and there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" He called back as he started to pack up his homework in his messenger bag.

It was Mary with a tray for dinner. She set the tray on his desk. He saw that it was his favorite, grilled chicken Marsala over angel hair pasta and asparagus. Dessert was chocolate cheesecake.

"Thanks, Mary," Enjolras said.

Mary picked up a dish and took off the lid, bringing it over to where Angel was patiently waiting for her evening meal.

"When you're done just set the tray outside and I'll come and get it. Have a good night, Jules." She kissed his forehead before leaving the room.

"Goodnight, Mary," Enjolras said as he finished stacking his textbooks before he sat down to eat.

After he finished eating, he grabbed the plate of cheesecake, his phone, his copy of _Clockwork Prince,_ and the blanket off the back of the couch. Enjolras opened the door to the balcony and sat down in the lounge chair that was out there. He ate the cheesecake, and then he watched the lights of the skyscrapers across from the apartment building for a little before unlocking his phone. He went to his messages to text Grantaire.

**_Enjolras (8:21 P.M.): Hey, you free?_ **

**_My Love 💘(8:21 P.M.): I was just about to get in the shower. Can I call you when I'm out?_ **

**_Enjolras (8:22 P.M.): Absolutely! 😘_ **

Enjolras set his phone down before resting his head against the glass of the window. He sighed deeply, letting the breeze wash over him. He watched the lights of the city a little more before wrapping the blanket tighter around himself and grabbed the book to start reading. He had only read a chapter and a half before his phone buzzed.

**_My Love 💘(8:41 P.M.): Out of the shower. Let me get dressed, then we can talk._ **

Enjolras marked his place in the book and set it on the table before going inside with the plate and blanket. He did as Mary asked by placing the tray outside his room before flopping down on the bed. Angel came up to lay next to him. He pet his cat as he waited for another message from his love. Eventually, his phone buzzed again. Enjolras grabbed his phone to look at the message.

**_My Love 💘(8:42 P.M.): Text or FaceTime?_ **

Enjolras still didn't know how to tell Grantaire about the letter from Dartmouth and he was still sure that if he heard his boyfriend's voice he would stay crying.

**_Enjolras (8:43 P.M.): Text. I want to read a little more._ **

**_My Love 💘(8:43 P.M.): Okay. So where are you in the book?_ **

Enjolras quickly answered him by telling him that Jem and Tessa had just shared their first kiss in Jem's bedroom. After sending the message, Enjolras quickly got ready for bed. Enjolras grabbed his book and phone, crawled under the covers as he got himself situated for his reading. 

As he read, he continued to text Grantaire until his vision became blurry and he could barely make out the words. Enjolras marked his place again and set the book on the bedside table.

**_Enjolras (11:32 P.M.) I'm heading to bed. Goodnight, Nic. I love you. 😘_ **

**_My Love 💘(11:32 P.M.): Goodnight, sweet angel. I love you. Until I take my last breath._ **

Enjolras smiled at his message before locking his phone and setting it on top of the book. He reached over to turn his lamp off. Enjolras burrowed deep under the covers and closed his eyes. His hand resting on Angel's slowly rising stomach as she cuddled up to him.

***

When Monday came, Grantaire arrived at the school and made his way to his and Enjolras's secret spot under the bleachers. They tried to spend at least 10 minutes together before they went to meet their friends. Enjolras was nowhere to be seen when he arrived. Something that was unusual because Enjolras was always there before him.

Grantaire sat down on the bench that had been placed there many years ago as he waited for his boyfriend to make his appearance. But when five minutes passed and Enjolras still wasn't there, Grantaire pulled out his phone to text him.

**_Grantaire (7:55 A.M.): Hey, angel. I'm in our spot. You coming?_ **

**_My Angel 💖(7:57 A.M.): Sorry, love. I forgot to text you. I had to go to the library to gather a few books for one of my final papers. I'll see you later, though, I promise. Love you._ **

Grantaire felt his heart sink a little. He stood up, pocketing his phone and throwing his messenger bag over his shoulder. He walked to the courtyard to meet his friends. He saw that Jehan and Bahorel were already there.

"Hey, R. What's going on?" Jehan asked as Grantaire sat down.

"Not much. What's going on with you?" Grantaire asked his friends.

"Same as always, but I need to ask you something," Jehan announced.

Grantaire's eyes floated around the courtyard, searching for any sign of Enjolras. He turned his attention to Jehan's question. "Sure. What's going on?"

"My teacher for my creative writing elective wants us to have cover art for our final short story. I was wondering if you would help me design it?" Jehan asked.

"Yeah, that sounds great," Grantaire said.

"Wonderful." Jehan clapped his hands. "I have a copy for you to read and I was hoping that we could meet during our free period to discuss it."

Grantaire nodded his head. "That sounds doable."

In the minutes following, all the rest of his friends started to join them at the table. Grantaire kept eyeing the courtyard for Enjolras. At the table across the yard, Enjolras's friends had gathered at their usual table, but there was no sign of Enjolras yet.

Joly caught sight of his friend looking around the yard. "Who are you looking for?"

Grantaire looked at his friend, eyes wide. "Um...nobody."

"Oh, yes, you are. You have your worried face on, as well as hearts in your eyes. Who is it?" Bossuet inquired.

"No one," Grantaire assured.

Over the top of Musichetta's head, he noticed Enjolras walk out of the school and toward his group of friends. He made eye contact with Grantaire for a split second before quickly averting his eyes. Grantaire felt the knots in his stomach release a little knowing that his boyfriend was okay.

The conversation continued to flow between his friends. Grantaire paid attention to most of it, but every once in a while he would bring his attention to Enjolras, who looked like he was a million miles away. Something was going on, and Grantaire was determined to find out what.

They heard the bell ring and they all made their way inside the school, Grantaire kept eyeing Enjolras, who was purposefully not looking at him.

***

During his free period, which happened right before lunch, Grantaire met with Jehan inside the library. Jehan handed him a copy of his story to allow him to read it. Grantaire quickly read the story before they started to brainstorm ideas for the cover.

The short story was about a man who had many run-ins with the angel of death, who over each encounter falls more in love with the man (never saying a word) until he finally has to take the man in old age.

"It's good. I love the prose that you use in the story," Grantaire replied, handing the story back to Jehan. "Do you have an idea of what you want the cover to look like."

"I want the image of angel wings silhouetted, taking up most of the page. Like this"—Jehan did a quick sketch of what he wanted—"then, I want an image of the man and the angel caressing his face at the bottom." He finished sketching out the idea. "That's what I would like, but you can do whatever you feel would fit the story. I would have drawn it, but my skill pales in comparison to yours."

"Okay," Grantaire said, taking the sketch. "I'll do some different designs of your idea to see which one you like best. I might make a few adjustments as I go."

"Wonderful," Jehan said.

"Just so I know now, what medium would you like it done in? Paint? Charcoal? Watercolor?" Grantaire asked.

"Um...pastels, if it's possible, please?" Jehan asked.

"I can do that," Grantaire replied.

The two of them sat at their table in the library, working on homework. When they finished, Grantaire started to read his book again as Jehan worked on his poetry.

"So, who is it that you're dating?" Jehan asked.

Grantaire was taken aback by the question. "I'm not sure what you're talking about. I'm not dating anyone."

"Yes, you are. You avoid spending time with your friends. You were frantically looking for someone this morning in the courtyard. Grantaire, you can tell me."

"I know, Jehan, but I…" Grantaire sighed loudly. "Alright, I am dating someone." He saw Jehan open his mouth and his eyes brightened in excitement, but then he held a hand up. "I can't tell you who it is, though."

"Why not?" 

"Because my partner and I agreed to not tell people until we are ready and we're not ready. That's all I can tell you."

"Okay. But you can at least tell me if you're happy, right?"

Grantaire smiled at his friend. "I'm very happy."

***

Later that day when Grantaire arrived at work, he saw that Enjolras was already there.

Grantaire smiled when he saw his boyfriend behind the counter of the bookstore. He walked up to it and said, "Hello, angel."

Enjolras looked up with a small smile before giving him a quick kiss. "Hi. I'm currently doing online orders, so do you think you could handle the counter?"

Grantaire nodded. Enjolras made his way around the counter, but before he could go to shelves of books, Grantaire caught his wrist. "There's something I have to tell you."

Enjolras turned to him. "Okay. What's going on?"

"Um…" Grantaire's eyes met Enjolras's as he tried to find the words. Enjolras waited patiently for him to say something. "Nothing. I love you."

Enjolras gave him a soft smile. "I love you, too."

***

As they worked that night, though, Grantaire started to notice even more that something was up with Enjolras. But when he asked, his boyfriend told him not to worry about it. By the end of their shift, Enjolras had said barely 20 words to him. He managed to coax a goodbye kiss out of him, but he was more sure than ever that something was bothering him.

***

Over the next few days, Enjolras's words started to become monosyllabic and he would avoid Grantaire's touch and kisses. He still hadn't found the right way to tell him about Dartmouth. But on Thursday afternoon, he had the day off, so he snuck over to the apartment for some peace and quiet. Instead of doing homework though, like he had intended, Enjolras pulled the covers back on the bed and fell asleep.

Later that night after going out to eat with his parents and a few of their clients, Grantaire texted Enjolras to see if he was still at the apartment. When he received no reply, he decided to go over there and check.

Grantaire unlocked the apartment. The only light coming from the apartment was the lights of the city shining in. He turned on the lamp near the front door only to see his boyfriend sleeping peacefully on the bed. He smiled as he climbed into the bed next to Enjolras. 

As the bed shifted, Enjolras was woken up with a start. He looked like a deer in the headlights before realizing it was just his boyfriend. He smiled, softly, before giving him a chaste kiss, and laid back down. But when Grantaire attempted to pull him closer, Enjolras pulled away.

"Okay, honestly. You've been avoiding my touch and kisses and you've only responded in monosyllables for the last four days. What the fuck is going on?" Grantaire asked.

"Nothing," Enjolrs tried, pushing himself to sit up against the headboard.

Grantaire gave him a disappointed look. "Love, I know you're worried about Dartmouth, London, and your parents, but it's all going to be okay. It's not like you've heard back from either college yet, anyway, so we have time," Grantaire finished, but then he realized how stiff Enjolras had become all of a sudden. "What? Did you hear back from one of them?"

Enjolras felt tears prick because after a week of not saying anything, he could no longer keep it secret. He slowly started to nod as his blue eyes met Grantaire's green ones. "Yes. When I got home on Saturday, Adeline gave me an envelope. It was my acceptance letter to Dartmouth."

Grantaire sighed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to tell you on Saturday, but I knew that just hearing your voice, I was going to start crying. I've been trying to find a way to tell you all week, but none of them felt like the best way to tell you," Enjolras explained. "And it just seems that right now, everything that we wanted, a place where no one knew us, a place where I could hold your hand or kiss you in public, is falling apart. That London is a pipe dream, and Dartmouth and not being able to get out from under my parents' watch is the reality." Enjolras felt a tear fall from his eyes that he quickly wiped away. "And maybe we were foolish. Foolish to fall in love. Foolish to think that this would ever work."

Grantaire climbed over Enjolras to sit on his lap, he cupped his face. "We were not foolish." Enjolras refused to look Grantaire in the eyes, but he forced him to meet them. "No hope is lost until you hear back from King's College in London, alright? They at least have to do the decent thing in sending you a letter about whether you're accepted or not, right? We are not losing hope, angel, until you receive that letter, alright?"

Enjolras looked at Grantaire through his lashes, a single tear fell from his eye that Grantaire caught with the pad of his thumb.

Grantaire tangled a hand in Enjolras's curls. "I love you, angel. No matter what happens."

Enjolras didn't say anything. Instead, he pushed himself forward to capture Grantaire's lips with his. Grantaire placed one hand on Enjolras's hip. Frantic desperation evident in the kiss as well as softness and comfort. Enjolras rolled them over on the bed. Continuing to kiss Grantaire, his fingers trailed down his t-shirt. He pushed it up until Grantaire pulled it off and threw it to the floor.

Slowly, Enjolras crawled down toward Grantaire's stomach before making his way back up to his mouth. Kissing and trailing his lips over Grantaire's chest, leaving marks on every bit of skin that was available to him. When he brought his lips back to Grantaire's, his boyfriend reached for his shirt and pulled it up over his head. Enjolras leaned down to kiss him again.

"Do you want to?" Enjolras asked him, reaching for his hand.

"Yes, I do." Grantaire's free hand followed a trail up Enjolras's bare chest until he placed it over his heart. "But I must ask, do you feel comfortable enough to fuck me tonight?"

Enjolras let his free hand wrap around Grantaire's fingers, bringing them to his mouth, kissing the tip of each finger. "I do."

"Okay." Grantaire sat up, shifting Enjolras to his lap. Another kiss, then he trailed his lips across Enjolras's jaw. "Have I mentioned to you that my favorite type of sex is the sex that happens spontaneously? Like right now?"

"You might have mentioned it once or twice before." Enjolras smiled, kissing him once more and pushed him down on the bed again. He leaned over to the bedside table to grab their bottle of lube.

The buckle of Grantaire's jeans came loose and Enjolras pushed them down his legs until they were all the way off. His hands ran up and down Grantaire's legs as his mouth left marks on his thighs. Feeling playful, Enjolras reached a hand up to cup his cock through his boxers. He heard Grantaire curse his name above him.

He dragged himself over Grantaire's body, kissing his chest and making scratches with his fingernails as he went. He whispered against Grantaire's collarbone, "Did you like that?"

"Yes…" Grantaire's voice was raspy.

"What was that? I didn't hear you," Enjolras questioned.

Grantaire cleared his throat, but his voice was still quiet. "I liked it very much."

Enjolras pulled away from where he was making a mark on his chest. "Wonderful."

He cupped Grantaire again, this time he placed a little bit more pressure. Enjolras was struck with an idea and went back to lay between his lover's legs. He started to mouth his boyfriend's cock through his boxers. Then, he pulled the boxers down, allowing the tip to peak out and Enjolras wrapped his mouth around it. Leisurely, he brought Grantaire's boxers down his legs, taking more of his cock in his mouth. Grantaire's hand started to pull at Enjolras's curls.

Enjolras's eyes met Grantaire's as his tongue licked up the underside of his cock. He felt Grantaire shiver against him. Enjolras brought his mouth to the tip to suck at it, then he swirled his tongue around and over the slit. Pulling his mouth off and kissing the tip, Enjolras reached for the lube.

After dousing his fingers in lube, he dragged them over Grantaire's entrance in a back and forth, teasing motion. He glanced up to watch the elation play across Grantaire's face. His boyfriend's eyes were black with thirst.

Enjolras wanted to tease and play with Grantaire for as long as possible. It was sort of a revenge seduction for all the times that Grantaire had done this with him. It was his first time fucking his boyfriend, he wanted to make it memorable, as well as make sure Grantaire was worn out and knackered by the time they finished.

He placed the tip of one of his fingers inside, drawing it around the ring of muscle before dragging it over the entrance once again. Enjolras could feel the impatient energy radiate off of Grantaire.

"You're a fucking terror, you know that?" Grantaire bit out.

Enjolras stayed coy by keeping his eyes entirely on his fingers. He made one long drag of his fingers from the back of Grantaire's entrance all the way to the top, nearing his scrotum until finally, he pushed his pointer finger inside, steadily bringing the finger in, then bringing it back out. Repeating that same motion over and over again. He then inched another finger in alongside the first.

Grantaire started to gasp and sigh, feeling Enjolras's fingers inside him. This was too good to be true. He never expected that he would have Enjolras agree to fucking him, especially so soon after making the request, but it was worth it. Worth the wait of over two years. Besides, he knew that this was mostly about making his boyfriend feel good after the last couple days. Usually Grantaire would try to make him feel better, but this time, he had wanted Enjolras to feel that there was something in his life that he did have control over. What better way to do that, then by allowing him to do whatever he wanted to him in a sexual manner.

He felt Enjolras roll his fingers around his muscle, stretching it out, scissoring and hooking as he went. God, his fingers were heavenly. Enjolras had definitely returned the favor of a blowjob over the course of their relationship, but fingering was something that he hadn't wanted to do until he was ready to take it a step farther. Feeling Enjolras's long and skinny fingers move around inside was more than he could bear. When Enjolras slid another finger inside him, Grantaire couldn't hold back anymore. He arched his back, planted his feet on the bed to start fucking himself on Enjolras's fingers.

"Baby, please!" Grantaire pleaded.

Enjolras soothed him by placing his hand on his stomach. "Patience, my love. I need to make sure that you are all prepped and ready to go. I don't want to hurt my beloved."

"You won't, I promise. Just please put your dick inside me. _Please_ ," his voice was strained.

Enjolras continued to play and toy with him for a little while longer. Inciting screams of pleasure from Grantaire, and eventually, the only words out of his mouth where pleas that Enjolras fuck him already.

Wiping his fingers on the sheets, he lubed up his cock. Enjolras teased him by placing his mouth on Grantaire's cock, raking his teeth over it. His boyfriend cried. He pulled away with a wolfish grin. Enjolras placed the head of his cock at Grantaire's entrance, then languidly pushed it against the barrier, finally entering his boyfriend. Grantaire let out a satisfying moan as Enjolras's cock slid smoothly inside him.

"Oh, fuck." Grantaire bit his lip. "You feel amazing, baby."

Enjolras propelled more of his cock inside until he was all the way to the hilt. He looked up at Grantaire, who's eyes were shut, lip still bit, but the pleasure was still evident on his face. He wiggled his cock a little, trying to allow his boyfriend time to adjust.

Grantaire relished having Enjolras inside him for a few more seconds before he said in the beginnings of a husky voice, "Move! Oh, Jules, please move!"

Enjolras placed his hands on the calves of Grantaire's bent legs as he pulled out, then drove back in. Keeping the same motion as he found his rhythm. Feeling Grantaire's walls constrict with every movement.

"Nic, you're marvelous. An absolute treasure," Enjolras said as he paused his movement for just a second to live for a moment inside of Grantaire. Enjoying the feeling of them being one for the thousandth time.

Grantaire bracketed his legs near Enjolras's hips. Trying to give him as much room as he needed to do whatever he wanted to him. His fingers were grasping at the sheets. He had finally opened his eyes to watch as Enjolras thrusted inside him. Enjolras had closed his eyes, but his smile was full of pleasure and it was mesmerizing. Watching his lover move his hips fast enough to cause him pleasure.

"Jules...more," Grantaire cried.

Enjolras started to move his hips even faster. Pulling his cock almost all the way out before driving back in as deep as he could go. He repeated that motion over and over. Grantaire let out a stream of cries, whimpers and moans, his hands wrung in the sheets.

"Do you like this, Nic? Does it feel good?" Enjolras ran a hand down his chest.

"I do, Jules. I love feeling you inside me," Grantaire moaned.

Enjolras stopped his hips for just a second, letting his boyfriend feel his cock inside him. He brought his mouth up to Grantaire's neck, biting down. Grantaire let out a groan, his hand cupping the back of his neck, guiding it. Enjolras moved to the other side to do the same thing. From there, his mouth started to run over Grantaire's chest, taking a nipple into his mouth. His tongue flicking and playing with it. Enjolras smiled hearing another moan escape Grantaire.

"Baby, please. Move. I need you to fuck me," Grantaire begged.

Enjolras pulled away from his nipple. A sinful smile playing across his face. "What's the magic word, darling?"

"I love you, so much, but please, please, fuck me. I'm begging you," Grantaire exclaimed. His eyes meeting the black lustful eyes of Enjolras.

"Okay," Enjolras agreed. "But what's the rule?"

Grantaire placed his hands above his head on the pillow. "No touching until you allow me too."

"That's right, my sweet," Enjolras gave him a peck on the lips. "Now, I'm going to move again. Are you ready?"

"Just fucking do it already," Grantaire demanded.

Enjolras started to move his hips again, beginning with soft and smooth thrusts, then changing to shallow and deep, then returning to soft and smooth. His boyfriend was already a whimpering mess underneath him, he wanted to see how long he could make that last. Feeling Grantaire trying to desperately fuck himself on his cock, he placed his hands on his hips, pinning them to the bed.

Seeing sweat start to plaster Enjolras's hair to his forehead and the back of his neck, as well as over his chest made Grantaire desperate to touch him. But he wasn't allowed to yet. He reminded himself again that this wasn't about him, this was about Enjolras feeling good. Soon after he had remembered that, Enjolras thrusted deep enough to brush his prostate.

"Fuck…" he hissed. "That was good, but fuck me, Jules. Harder. Deeper. Faster."

Enjolras leaned forward to press a kiss to Grantaire's tattoo. "Alright, my sweet. If that's what you want?"

"It is," Grantaire said. "I'm yours for the taking."

Enjolras gripped Grantaire's hair as he kissed him filthily. When he pulled away, he gave him another quick peck before turning all his attention to giving Grantaire exactly what he wanted. He pulled all the way out, pulled Grantaire by the hips to bring him closer to him, and then biting his lip, he lined himself up with Grantaire's entrance before driving in deep. Grantaire cried out his name, his eyes squeezed shut.

Enjolras placed his hands on Grantaire's legs, bending them forward a little, allowing his cock to go deeper and his boyfriend to let out a whimper. He pumped his hips as fast and hard as he could, his cock going deeper with every thrust, abusing Grantaire's entrance.

"Are you okay, love? I'm not hurting you, am I?" Enjolras checked in.

Grantaire violently shook his head, breathlessly saying, "No. You're wonderful."

Enjolras let go of one of his legs to cup his face to kiss him. Against his mouth, he mumbled, "Do you want to touch me?"

Grantaire didn't say anything, just mindlessly pawed at his boyfriend. Enjolras took the hand in his, lacing their fingers together and placing them on the side of the bed. Then, he sat back up, continuing his rough and abusing thrusts.

Now that Grantaire could touch him, he brought his free hand to Enjolras's hip, then slid it down to cup his ass, feeling the muscles inside work as he thrusted. He squeezed and Enjolras let out a howl, which caused him to thrust all the way to the hilt and deep enough to touch Grantaire's prostate. Pleasure zipped through Grantaire.

"Harder, baby, come on," Grantaire encouraged. His hands guided Enjolras's hips, trying to make him go faster.

Their bodies were dripping in sweat as Enjolras thrusted harder and faster. He reached to place one of Grantaire's legs over his shoulder, permitting him even deeper.

Grantaire squeezed Enjolras's ass again, groaning. "Just like that. Fuck me."

Enjolras's motions persisted. He brought his mouth underneath Grantaire's jaw, marking it up. He reached Grantaire's sweet spot again, his lover spasmed underneath him. Enjolras felt Grantaire tighten around his cock.

"Love…" he moaned. "Are you almost there?"

Grantaire squeezed his ass again to answer yes. Enjolras wrapped his hand around Grantaire's ankle, keeping it over his shoulder. His other was planted on the bed. He could feel his own orgasm about to hit, so he continued to move fast and deep into Grantaire.

Without warning him, he felt Grantaire's cum splatter all over their chest. Grantaire was breathing heavily, his hands had let go of Enjolras. They were now resting at his sides. Enjolras let Grantaire's leg drop from his shoulder.

He hadn't quite reached his release when he collapsed on top of Grantaire. Enjolras was exhausted. He reached his finger up to drag it across Grantaire's jaw.

He whispered, "If I pull out, do you want to finish me off?"

That offer perked Grantaire up a bit. His answer was given with a kiss. Enjolras gently pulled out, rolling weakly to the side. Grantaire took his cock in hand.

"Want to help?" Grantaire questioned.

Enjolras wrapped his hand around Grantaire's, and together they stroked him to completion. Grantaire pulled his hand away, bringing it to his mouth to lick it clean. Then, he did the same with Enjolras's hand. They laid down next to each other, breathing heavily.

Enjolras searched for Grantaire's hand. "I never imagined it could be like that."

"Oh, yes. It's quite magical being the one to make your lover see stars and pleasure them. But also being the one that brings you two closer together." Grantaire turned over and cupped Enjolras's sweaty face. "I love you, angel."

"I love you, too," Enjolras said.

They stayed like that for a while until Enjolras decided that it was time to head home. He reluctantly pulled himself from Grantaire's grasp, standing up to get dressed. Grantaire stayed where he was, admiring the view as he watched Enjolras dress. After dressing, Enjolras started gathering up his books again, then when he was ready to go, he walked to the bed and sat down. Grantaire sat up.

"I can't wait for the day where you and I share a place and I don't have to leave you." Enjolras cupped his face.

"I know, angel, but soon, I promise." Grantaire kissed him lightly. "I love you."

Enjolras pressed their foreheads together. His hand resting over the tattoo on Grantaire's chest. "Until my dying day."

Another quick kiss was had before Enjolras stood up, making for the door of the apartment. He blew Grantaire a kiss, who caught it, and left the apartment. Grantaire laid back on the bed, sighed, and threw the covers off to get dressed.

***

The next day, everything was back to normal, they met at their secret spot under the bleachers that morning to share a light breakfast of blueberry muffins and coffee. A secret meeting in an empty stairwell during their free period. And secret smiles and glances shared across the hallway and cafeteria.

Finally, when it was time for their shift at the bookstore. Grantaire arrived first, and then Enjolras. They shared a quick make out session behind a bookshelf before going to clock in. They worked tirelessly for an hour. Then, Lamarque emerged from his office. It was once again payday.

He quickly put the rest in his employee's mail boxes. Then, he handed Grantaire his. Lamarque turned to Enjolras, but when he handed it over, it wasn't just the white envelope that contained his paycheck, but something else, as well.

A large white envelope with the logo for King's College London.

Enjolras had asked Lamarque's permission to put his home address on his application, so that it went to Lamarque's, instead of his own place. Risking the chance of his parent's getting a hold of it.

He held the package in his shaking hands. He glanced at Grantaire, who smiled encouragingly at him.

"Whatever that letter says, it doesn't change a thing," Grantaire assured.

Enjolras closed his eyes, replayed Grantaire's words in his head, took a deep breath, opening his eyes on the exhale. He turned the envelope over and opened it. He pulled the contents out and read the letter on top. Enjolras's heart was beating a million miles a minute as he anticipated his answer.

_Dear Mr. Julien Enjolras,_

_Congratulations! We are pleased to announce that you have been accepted to King's College London._

That was all Enjolras needed to read before breaking out into a smile. He turned to Grantaire. "I got in!" he exclaimed, throwing himself into Grantaire's arms.

Grantaire laughed, picking Enjolras up and spinning him around. "I knew that you would."

Enjolras couldn't contain his excitement. Grantaire eventually set him down in order to kiss him. He pulled away from the kiss, unable to keep the smile off of his face. "I got in."

"Congratulations!" Lamarque smiled before leaving to go back to his office.

"Thank you," Enjolras replied.

Enjolras took the slightly crumpled letter from his hug with Grantaire into his hands to finish reading it. He finished it and looked over at Grantaire, handing it over for him to read.

Grantaire finished reading it, setting the letter down on the counter. He turned to Enjolras, pulling him in. "I told you it would be okay."

Enjolras smiled. "Next time, I'll believe you. But now, comes the hard part."

"Telling your parents," Grantaire said.

"Yep." Enjolras popped the "p".

"Do you know when you'll tell them?" Grantaire ran a hand through his curls.

"Tomorrow night. They want to have a 'special' dinner to celebrate my getting into Dartmouth." Enjolras's voice was filled with dread. Grantaire held back a chuckle at hearing the quotation marks around special.

"You'll call me to tell me how it goes, right?" Grantaire asked.

"Of course. Now, we should get back to work." Enjolras quickly put both envelopes in his bag, gave Grantaire another quick kiss, and went back to work.

***

When he got home, Adeline was sitting on the couch. He set his stuff down near the table and walked to her with a smile on his face.

Adeline set her book down and looked up at him. "What?" Enjolras showed her the envelope and she smiled, taking it from him. "Is it…?"

Enjolras nodded, sitting down next to her. "It is."

Adeline opened it up and took the contents out. She read the letter and her grin grew even brighter as she processed what this meant. "You got in."

Enjolras returned her smile. "I did. I can't believe it. I've spent this last week thinking that I wasn't what they were looking for, but I am. I got in."

She pulled him in for a hug. "I'm so proud of you, and I'm sure Nic is too."

"What are you proud of him for?" Alphonse asked, coming out of the office with his wife.

Enjolras noticed for the first time that they had guests. Combeferre and his parents, Lucien and Adele. He distinctly remembered hearing his best friend tell him that his family had plans to have dinner with his family that evening.

Adeline quickly hid the envelope from them, but not before Marguerite saw it.

"What is that?" Marguerite asked.

"Nothing," Adeline said. "It's just a letter I received."

Marguerite walked to her, holding out her hand. Adeline looked at Enjolras, who was just sitting there frozen.

"I don't have to show you anything. I'm the matriarch of this family, so you don't order _me_ around," Adeline said. "Plus, I don't think now is the right time. Not when we have guests."

Seeing the anger flare in his parent's eyes, Enjolras couldn't bear the thought of that anger being let out against the one person in his family who was always on his side, he reached for the letter from Adeline and handed it over to his mother. His eyes didn't leave Adeline's, who was asking silently, "Are you sure?" Thinking about Grantaire and how it was time for him to stop letting his parents run his life, Enjolras nodded. He turned to look at his parents who were reading the letter. When his father finished, he took it from his wife and turned furious eyes onto Enjolras.

"Julien, what is this?" Alphonse asked.

Enjolras stood up, puffing his chest out a little, and confidently he said, "It's what it looks like. It's an acceptance letter to King's College in London."

Alphonse crumpled the letter up. "You have already been accepted to Dartmouth, so you can tell them that you won't be attending."

"I'm not going to do that. I'm not attending Dartmouth. I'm going to college in London," Enjolras said.

Alphonse turned to Enjolras. "Yes, you are. It was decided a long time ago that Dartmouth is where you would attend."

"By you. Not by me," Enjolras said. "You decided it without even talking to me first. Just like everything else."

"Because I know what's best for you," Alphonse answered.

"What's best for me?" Enjolras asked, exasperated. "Don't you mean what's best for _you_? Me going to the school _you_ want me too. Me getting the job that _you_ want me too. Me marrying the girl that _you_ choose for me. Did you ever stop to ask me what I wanted?"

"Oh, stop the hysterics, Julien. You never had a problem until now."

"I've always had a problem because all my life you've treated me like I was one of your workers, but I'm not. I'm your son. I should be allowed to make my own choices."

"So what? You're going to go to school in London, expose yourself as a disgusting homosexual, and tarnish the Enjolras name."

"If the shoe fits," Enjolras answered. "It's my life, Father, and I'm going to live my life the way I want to, with the career that I want, where I want, and with the man that I want to love. There's nothing you or Mother can do about it! I am going to King's College and that is final." Enjolras grabbed the letter from his father, pushing past Combeferre, and then turned to go upstairs.

Alphonse's eyes moved to Adeline. "And you approved of this?"

"Yes, I did because he's right, Alphonse. It's his life. Not yours," Adeline said. "I think you have a tendency to forget that I'm _your_ mother. I'm the reason you have this life and the business. I could take it away, just as easily as you got it. Just think about that for a little while, maybe you'll start treating that boy like a son who needs to live his own life."

Adeline stood up. Intending to follow her grandson, but Combeferre beat her to it. When she remembered who Enjolras was going to call, she opened her mouth to call him back, but it was too late. Combeferre was already up the stairs.

Enjolras closed his bedroom door, placing his bag next to it. He got out his phone to FaceTime Grantaire.

 _"Hey, angel. What's up?"_ Grantaire asked.

"My parents know. About London," Enjolras replied, going to sit on the foot of the bed.

Grantaire took a moment to process that news before saying, _"I thought you said you weren't going to tell them until tomorrow."_

"I was, but when I got home I showed Adeline the letter, and well, my parents came out of their offices when she was reading it. It just kind of all spilled out after that. Oh, and I completely forgot that they invited the Combeferre family over for dinner tonight, so this went down in front of them."

_"I see. How'd they take it?"_

"As well, as could be expected."

_"That bad, huh?"_

"I ended the conversation before it got too bad, but I won't hear the end of it."

Grantaire frowned. _"No, but on the bright side, we can officially continue with our preparations. Getting our visas. Looking for our flat. Everything that we will need—"_

Just then, Enjolras's bedroom door opened, and Combeferre stepped inside.

 _"—to have a comfortable and happy life, angel,"_ Grantaire finished.

"Is that?" Combeferre asked, closing the door.

Enjolras stared at his best friend, frozen.

"Angel, is everything alright?" Grantaire asked. "Love?"

Enjolras quickly ended the call before another word could be spoken. His eyes didn't leave his friend's. "Alex, please."

"Was that Nicolas Grantaire?" Combeferre asked. Enjolras, knowing that there was no way to lie when he had caught him in the act, slowly nodded. "What are you doing talking to him? And what is he doing calling you 'love?'"

"He's...um...he and I…" Enjolras trailed, then with more confidence. "He and I are in love." 

"What?" His face was blank, so Enjolras had no idea what his best friend was thinking.

"He and I are in love. He's my boyfriend." A tear fell from Enjolras's eyes.

"He's your boyfriend?"

"Yes, Alex, he is. Don't say anything, please," Enjolras begged.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Alex, please."

"How long, Jules?" Combeferre said again, this time more stern.

"Two years," Enjolras admitted. He stopped trying to keep the tears from coming.

Combeferre's eyes went wide. "Two years?! You've been dating Nicolas Grantaire for two years?! Are you insane?!

"I love him, Alex. _I love him_ ," Enjolras pleaded with him to understand. "Promise me, you won't say anything. Please."

Combeferre sighed, crossing his arms. Seeing how distressed this was making his friend, he walked to Enjolras, placing his hands on his shoulders. "Jules, you're my best friend. Does he make you happy?"

Enjolras sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. A watery smile that was filled with love played on his lips. "Extremely."

"Then, that's all that matters to me." He squeezed his friend's shoulder. "You have my word that I'll never tell them. Ever. Okay?" Enjolras nodded. "I was trying to process it because this is a shock, Jules." 

"I know."

"Do his parents know?"

Enjolras shook his head. "No. Just Lamarque, Adeline, Mary, and now, you."

Combeferre didn't say anything to that. He walked to the couch. "Okay, so tell me about him. What's he like? How did this happen? I want to know everything."

Enjolras blushed bright red over Combeferre's words. "You're acting like Courf."

"Yeah. Well, cut me some slack. You've hidden this for two years, I think my choice of words are well within reason."

Enjolras sat down on the couch next to his friend. "It just sort of happened. Since we both worked at Lamarque's, we agreed to a truce. Then, we became friends when we found out that both of us love the Shadowhunter series, something we bonded over. As we grew closer, feelings started growing. We fought it as long as we could before it became too painful to not be together, and well, we gave in. We became boyfriends, agreeing to keep it a secret from our families. It hasn't been easy."

"I'm not surprised," Combeferre commented. "How did Lamarque and Adeline find out?"

"Well, Lamarque always kind of suspected that something might happen between us. I told Adeline and Mary after my first day of work that Nic was my coworker, and well, they saw both the friendship and romantic relationship coming, so it wasn't really a surprise to them."

"And I take it the relationship between you two is serious?"

"We've secretly been together for two years, what do you think?" Enjolras raised an eyebrow.

Combeferre held his hands up. "I'm just saying. I'm assuming that means it's sexual, then?"

Enjolras blushed again. "Very much so." He sighed. "God, he's so great, Alex. There aren't enough words to describe how much he means to me." He reached for his friend's hand and squeezed it. "I'm so happy that you know, now. I've wanted to tell you about this for a long time, but I didn't know what your reaction would be."

"Jules, I don't understand your family's feud with the Grantaires any more than you do, so this is something that I think is nice. I think that you deserve someone who makes you happy. If that's Nicolas Grantaire, so be it."

"I'm going to have to tell him that you know, by the way. And then, so it's fair, let him know he can tell one of his friends."

"I figured that."

"Yeah," Enjolras said. "I'm going to spend a lot of time gushing to you about him, you know?"

"I know, and I'm all ears," Combeferre said. "But first, can I just say something real quick?" Enjolras waited patiently for him to continue. "I promise that I will keep this a secret, Jules. Just from the little you've told me so far and the way your eyes sparkle talking about him, I can see how much you clearly love him and I would never, _ever_ ruin that for you. But you can't keep this from yours or his parents forever. Eventually, they _will_ have to know, and I'm going to suggest that it happens sooner rather than later."

Enjolras bit his lip. "I know. We agreed that before we go to London, we'll tell them."

"I'm sorry about your parents reaction to that by the way."

"Thanks."

"I know you've always told me about their treatment of you and I always believed you, you know that. But to see it for myself…" he trailed off. "I'd go and fall in love with the son of my family's biggest rival as a nice little screw them kind of thing too."

"Yeah."

"So, when you go to London, Nicolas is going with you then, I take it."

"Mmhmm." Enjolras nodded. "You've known I've wanted to go to college in London for years, so when I told Nic, he was like 'go for it', which was before we got together, by the way. When we got together, we continued talking about it, and the more we talked about it, it just made more sense to go together. It would allow us to have a fresh start where no one knew who we were and we could be seen in public together."

"Okay, but he's not just going because of you, right?" Combeferre asked,

Enjolras shook his head. "He's not. I'm part of why, but he also has loved London since his sixth grade class trip there and that love had only intensified since he read _The Infernal Devices._ He had planned on moving to London anyway, but he didn't know when. Now, that we are together, it's given him the opportunity to make the jump earlier than expected. Trust me, we already discussed that we needed to find our own reasons for wanting to move there that weren't each other."

"Good. Alright, so keep telling me about him."

Enjolras settled into the couch with his best friend to tell him all about Grantaire and their relationship.

***

The next morning, when Enjolras walked to meet Grantaire at their secret spot for muffins and coffee, he was extremely nervous. He had stayed up until 1 A.M. telling Combeferre all about Grantaire and their relationship. After he finished and They decided it was time to go to bed (Combeferre had slept on Enjolras's couch), he sent Grantaire a quick "goodnight and I love you" text before going to sleep.

Enjolras got to the secret spot before Grantaire, so he set his bag down to wait for his boyfriend. He smiled when he saw him.

"Good morning, beautiful angel," Grantaire said when he got close enough. Enjolras stood up to greet him with a kiss.

After they sat down, Grantaire handed him his coffee before opening the bag of muffins. 

"They were all out of blueberry this morning, so instead we have mixed berry cream cheese muffins." He handed one to Enjolras, who took it with grace.

They sat there, eating their muffins and drinking their coffee, but when Grantaire noticed that his boyfriend was unusually quiet, he spoke up.

"Okay, angel, what happened last night. That's what's bothering you, am I right?"

Enjolras finished chewing, then set down his muffin and took Grantaire's muffin and coffee from his hands, setting them down on the bench next to his. He took Grantaire's hands.

"As you already know Alex came into my room while I was talking to you. I was in panic mode, that's why I ended the call as quickly as possible," Enjolras answered. Grantaire waited for him to continue. "And um...he figured out that it was you, and I couldn't lie to him, so I told him about us."

"Okay." Grantaire's voice was neutral. "What happened?"

"I begged him not to say anything, but he assured me that he wouldn't say a word. After that, I spent a few hours explaining to him how this happened and how much we love each other and how much you mean to me," Enjolras continued. "He gave us his full support, but he did tell me that we need to tell our parents. It wasn't a 'if we don't tell them, he will' kind of thing. It was a 'you two will never be able to be truly happy as long as it stays a secret from your parents and loved ones' thing. And I agreed with him." Grantaire's face didn't give anything away to how he felt about that. "Which is why I think we should tell them before we make the move to London. That gives us a few more months to build up the courage and figure out the best way to tell them, and—" he was cut off by a finger being pressed to his lips.

"I agreed, love. You don't have to convince me. Besides, I thought that it was already in silent agreement that we would tell them before then, or am I wrong in that?" Grantaire questioned.

Enjolras shook his head. "No, you are correct?"

Grantaire smiled before cupping Enjolras's face, pulling him in for a kiss.

They returned to their muffins and coffee, but their silence wasn't very long because Enjolras spoke up again.

"Since one of my closest friends knows about us now, I think it's only fair that one of yours does too. So, if there's a friend you want to tell, you should."

Grantaire agreed. "I'll probably tell Jehan because he's already asked me if there's someone who has caught my eye and he knows I'm dating someone, he just doesn't know who. He questioned me about it during free period the day we didn't met here because you had to run to the 'library.'" He gestured air quotes when he said "library".

"I did go to the library. That was the truth, thank you very much."

"I know. I'm teasing."

Enjolras rolled his eyes, but agreed that it should be Jehan who was told. Then, he spent the rest of the remaining time that they had before going to meet their respective friends kissing his boyfriend.

***

During their free period that day, Grantaire went to meet Jehan in the library. Jehan was working on his history homework when Grantaire sat down at their table.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Hi."

Grantaire opened his bag and pulled out a folder. "I have the rough drafts for your cover." He handed the folder over to Jehan.

Jehan took it filled with excitement. He opened the folder and took out the rough drafts, admiring it. "R, I love them. These are perfect. I don't know which one I love more." He took the first draft and the third draft in his hand. "I love these two the most I think. It is possible for you to combine the ideas because I love the design of the wings on this one." He held up the third draft. "But I prefer the silhouette of this one." He held up the first draft.

"If that's what you want, I can do it," Grantaire assured.

"Thank you. Thank you!" Jehan squealed as he wrapped his arms around Grantaire's neck. "I love you so much."

Grantaire laughed at his friend. He made a note on a post-it about what it was that Jehan wanted, then put the drafts back in the folder. Grantaire grabbed his own homework, sitting in silence with his best friend, but he couldn't focus as he tried to find the best way to tell Jehan about his relationship with Enjolras.

"Um...Jehan, do you remember when you asked me if I was dating anyone?"

"Yeah."

"Do you remember when I told you that I was, but I couldn't tell you who?"

"Yeah," Jehan repeated.

"I can tell you now, but I need you to promise me first that you won't tell anybody. No one can know who it is that I'm dating."

"Okay. I promise, plus it can't be that bad."

"Depends on what you think of Julien Enjolras."

Jehan glanced at his friend with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"

Grantaire bit his lip, feeling nervous as he nodded his head. "I am. That's who I'm dating."

The shock started to wear off. "Wow. I wasn't expecting that. How long have you been dating him?"

"Um...we celebrated two years on February 18th."

Jehan's eyes went wide again. "Two years?! Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"You know why. Our families are rivals. We had no choice in keeping it a secret, but we love each other, so we did what we had to do in order to be together. It was hell on earth keeping this from the people we love. Other than you, the only people who know are Lamarque, our boss at the bookstore, Julien's grandmother, Adeline, Julien's housekeeper, Mary, and then last night, Alexandre Combeferre found out, and now I've told you."

"I understand why you kept it, but it just saddens me that you thought I would tell someone. You know I love you like a brother, R. I would never ruin anything that makes you happen."

"I know. I'm sorry, Jehan."

Jehan hugged his friend again, promising once more that he wouldn't say anything.

They turned back to their homework with Grantaire letting out a sigh of relief that Jehan's reaction wasn't that bad. Not that he was expecting that it would be. Jehan was after all one of the calmest people he knew unless you got him really pissed off, then it was watch out. He made a mental note to mention that he told Jehan when they were at work later that day.

***

_April 2016_

Enjolras woke up feeling really warm and sweaty and feeling like he was going to be sick. He got up when his alarm went off, but his head was swimming and his stomach lurched. Enjolras bolted towards the stairs to get to his bathroom. When he finished, he brushed his teeth and drank some water. He walked back to his bed and crawled under the covers, but all he did was twist and turn until he had to run to the bathroom again.

Mary knocked on the door and walked into the room in the middle of his vomiting. She heard the noise and went to check on him. She ran a hand down his back as he finished.

"Are you okay?" Mary asked.

Enjolras flushed the contents of the toilet and rested his cheek against the cool porcelain. He was still sweaty, but he was also shaking as if he was cold. Mary pressed a hand to his forehead to feel for a fever.

"I'm going to help you back into bed, then I'll go get the thermometer and Adeline," Mary said.

Enjolras had her help in getting back into bed. Mary covered him up and left the room. Even though his head was pounding, Enjolras reached for his phone to text Grantaire.

**_Enjolras (7:02 A.M.): Good morning, my love! I don't think I'll be able to make it to school/work today. I woke up not feeling the greatest. I'll miss you so much! I love you! 😘❤️_ **

Enjolras set his phone down next to his pillow, so he'd be able to hear it if it vibrated, which it did five minutes later. He reached for it to look at the message.

**_My Love 💘(7:07 A.M.): Oh, angel! 😢 I wish I could come and cuddle you, but know that I'm loving and cuddling you from afar. I love you, too._ **

Just when Enjolras was going to reply, Adeline and Mary came into the room. Adeline helped him sit up, so Mary could take his temperature. It turned out he had a temperature of 101.2°.

"I'll call the school to let them know you won't be coming in. Do you want to call Lamarque or should I?" Adeline asked.

"I can handle it," Enjolras said.

Mary went to get him some toast and water, so he could try to eat something before taking Ibuprofen, as well as a pail for him to vomit into if the need arose and he didn't think he could make it to the bathroom. Adeline sat down next to him, petting Angel as Enjolras quickly called Lamarque to call in sick.

"Did you already tell Nic?" Adeline asked.

Enjolras was still getting used to Adeline knowing about him and Grantaire. "He's worried about me.

"You know your parents are gone for the week," Adeline reminded him.

Enjolras raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying?"

"You know what I'm saying." Adeline winked.

Enjolras smiled as he finally got what she was suggesting he do. But before he could do anything, Mary came in with the toast and water. Enjolras ate the toast in small bites and took sips of water. He managed to keep the toast down and when he was done he handed the plate back to Mary, who handed him some Ibuprofen.

"You take that, and after try and sleep. When you wake up, let me know and I'll come up with some tea," Adeline said.

He burrowed under the covers again as Adeline stood up from the bed, kissed his forehead, and turned out the light. Before he fell asleep again, he sent a quick text to Grantaire.

**_Enjolras (7:32 A.M.): I want your cuddles, love. Adeline reminded me that my parents are gone for the week. If you want to sneak over, you can. There is a doorman, but I'm sure he won't pay you any attention. It's floor 18 and apartment number 15._ **

After sending the message, he closed his eyes to sleep some more.

***

Around 11 A.M., Enjolras woke up. His stomach still felt queasy and his head was pounding as he groaned as he reached for his phone to text Adeline that he was up again. He also saw a few messages from Grantaire.

**_My Love 💘(7:35 A.M.): Are you sure we should risk it?_ **

**_My Love 💘(7:36 A.M.): Then again, Adeline and Mary already know, so it's not like they'd mind. But if someone spots me, rumors may start._ **

**_My Love 💘(8:02 A.M.): You must be resting. Sleep well, angel._ **

**_My Love 💘(10:55 A.M): I can't focus on school because all I want is to cuddle you and make you feel better. I don't care what the risks are, but when it's time for our free period, I'm cutting school and coming to see you. With a few surprises! 😉😉_ **

Enjolras smiled at the message before finishing his text to Adeline.

About 10 minutes later, Adeline came up with a mug of tea.

He took a sip of the tea before asking his grandmother, "Could you make sure that you point Nic in the right direction? He's going to sneak over."

Adeline smiled, knowingly, before nodding. She kissed his forehead before leaving the room. Enjolras reached for his phone again.

**_Enjolras (11:15 A.M.): Can't wait to see you! 😘Adeline will point in the right direction to my room when you arrive._ **

Enjolras set his phone down. He crawled back until the covers and closed his eyes to rest a little more. He must have been half asleep because the next thing he knew the bed was sinking, a hand was on his cheek as it was caressed, and a kiss was being planted to his forehead. Enjolras opened his eyes to see his boyfriend.

"I'd give you a kiss, but I don't want to get you sick, too." Enjolras reached for his hand to lace their hands together.

"That's okay. Just being near you is enough," Grantaire said. "I brought you a few things." He placed a duffle bag on the bed. "I have a blanket of mine that you can have so that when I leave, I'm still technically here." He pulled the covers to tuck his blanket around Enjolras. "I brought water." He took out a water bottle, set it on the bedside table, along with a bottle of orange juice. He took out tissues and a bottle of Ibuprofen. "I see that Adeline and Mary have you taken care of in the tea department."

Enjolras took a sip of the honey, lemon, and ginger tea. "They did, and it's really good."

Grantaire kissed his hand. Then, he grabbed a fabric bag. He took out the small container inside. "I got you chicken noodle soup, as well as some saltine crackers. Are you hungry?"

"Not right now. You can put the soup in the mini fridge." Enjolras pointed in the direction of the fridge.

"You have a mini fridge in your room?" Grantaire stood up, looking around his room.

"Um...yes. I don't really leave this room once I'm home, so it's nice to have everything I need right here," Enjolras replied.

Grantaire came back down the stairs. "I see. I really love the whole design of this room. Was it always like this?"

"Nope. Five years ago, my parents decided to do a major renovation and this was part of it."

"Was that the renovation where you lived at the Palace Hotel for six months?" Grantaire sat down on the bed again.

Enjolras nodded. "But can we not talk about that, can you just come and cuddle me?"

"I'm going to do more than that." Grantaire reached in the duffle bag again, pulling out his copy of _Clockwork Princess._ "How would you like it if I read to you?"

His copy of the book was battered. The dust jacket had been taped in places and the others were torn. The corners were dented. It was obvious just from seeing the book how much Grantaire loved the series.

Enjolras grinned at seeing the book. Grantaire moved to the other side to crawl in. He attached himself to his side with Grantaire wrapping an arm around him. He opened the book to chapter 14.

"Chapter 14. _Parabatai_ ," Grantaire started. "'The courtyard of the Green Mill Inn was a churned mess of mud by the time Will drew up his spent horse and slid down from Balios's broad back. He was weary, stiff, and saddle-sore…'" Grantaire's voice was soft and soothing as he read.

Enjolras closed his eyes to enjoy the sound of Grantaire's voice and the feeling of his fingers running through his hair. He sighed in contentment. Grantaire stopped reading for a second to kiss his forehead before continuing. Enjolras listened to Grantaire read, but he was about halfway through the chapter when he started to feel himself slip into sleep once again.

***

He woke up again to see Grantaire had set the book down and had thrown an arm over his eyes, while his other stayed wrapped around him. Enjolras ran a hand over his chest.

"Are you awake?" Enjolras questioned.

Grantaire removed the arm from his eyes. "I am. How are you feeling."

"My head is still pounding. My throat is scratchy and sore. I would have some of my tea, but I'm not a fan of cold tea. Do you mind if I text Adeline to ask her if she could get me another mug?" Grantaire gave his agreement. Enjolras reached for his phone to text his grandmother. When he finished, he curled up around Grantaire again. "I also asked her to bring up a bowl for the soup because I'm getting hungry."

Grantaire didn't say anything, just started running a hand over Enjolras's forearm.

"How far did you get in _Princess_ before you realized I fell asleep on you?" Enjolras asked.

"I just read chapter 14. I didn't want to get too far ahead of you," Grantaire said.

"You could have. It's not like you won't wait until I'm done with it before you move to _Heavenly Fire_ ," Enjolras commented.

"I know, but I also didn't feel like reading. I would rather cuddle you."

Enjolras frowned, slightly. "I wish I could kiss you."

"I know."

Adeline walked in the room with another mug of tea and a bowl for the soup. She smiled when she saw Enjolras all wrapped around Grantaire. She set the mug and bowl down on the bedside table.

"I'll just leave you two alone. Just text if you need anything else." Adeline left as quickly as she came.

"Do you want to watch something?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras threw the covers off, wrapping himself in Grantaire's blanket to move to the couch. Grantaire moved with him, grabbing the Ibuprofen, bowl, and tea.

"I'll get you some soup and crackers. After you eat, I want you to take more Ibuprofen," Grantaire instructed, walking up the steps for the soup.

Enjolras grabbed the remote for the TV. "If I don't find anything, you can search my DVD collection."

He finished getting the soup and handed the bowl. He saw that Enjolras had chosen some random game show.

"What are we watching?"

" _Family Feud._ "

Enjolras ate his soup as they watched the game show. Both of them guessed what the answer would be. After he finished the soup, Enjolras sat back against Grantaire's chest. He played with Grantaire's hand as his other hand held his tea mug. He asked Grantaire to turn down the TV for a moment.

"Um...you do realize what event is happening again in the coming weeks?" Enjolras questioned.

"It's kind of hard to not know when flyers are all over this city come April. The masquerade is coming up. What's the theme this year?" Grantaire inquired.

"Monte Carlo," Enjolras answered. "Could I convince you to sneak in again?"

"You always do." Grantaire kissed his temple. "And as usual, after we have our fun dancing together, we will sneak over to the apartment to have sex."

Enjolras blushed, kissing his hand. They settled back in to watch another episode of _Family Feud._

***

_June 2016_

After weeks of them not speaking, his parents called Enjolras into their office to tell him that because that year's masquerade ball was being held to celebrate his graduation from high school (which would happen two weeks after the ball), they would like him to open the ball with a spotlight dance. Enjolras had declined to do such a thing, but eventually struck a deal with them. He'd do the spotlight dance as long as they agreed to invite the Grantaire family. They agreed as long as the dance was with a girl. Hearing that term, Enjolras thought, _Fine. It's not like I could dance with the boy I love anyway._

Enjolras asked Cosette if she be kind enough to share his stupid spotlight dance with him. She had agreed with no questions asked. _They didn't say anything about who it had to be, so I'm choosing the friend, who is practically my sister._ Enjolras thought after asking her.

Grantaire had been livid after Enjolras told him of the required spotlight dance. He had gone on a rant about how it was stupid, idiotic, and so fucking heteronormative. Enjolras had calmed him down by saying that it was him who would be fucking him into the mattress at the end of the night. It had caused Enjolras to laugh at how just the mention of sex was enough to bring Grantaire back down.

The good news was that their visa applications in order to live in England long-term had been accepted and they had found a small flat that was perfect. It was a one bedroom, one bathroom that cost £2,340 a month. It was so expensive because it was in Central London, but they knew with the money that they had saved up they could afford it. It didn't hurt that it was 11 minutes from King's College, either. Grantaire had also started searching for a job, but hadn't been able to find out yet.

The day of the masquerade arrived. Enjolras walked into the Palace Hotel with his suit and mask. This year he had just a plain suit with a silver half mask. To his relief, Grantaire and his parents had accepted the invitation from his parents to come to the ball. He had been sent a picture of what Grantaire would be wearing. It was a heather grey suit with a black half mask.

Enjolras finished getting dressed before making his way downstairs to see how many people had already arrived. The ballroom was packed with people dancing, talking at the tables, or playing the casino themed games. He found the table that Adeline was sitting at in her long-sleeve, turtle neck red dress and red lace mask. She smiled at him as he sat down.

"Any sign of his family, yet?" she asked.

"Not that I see," Enjolras said.

But about five minutes after saying that, Enjolras saw someone wearing the exact same thing that Grantaire said he would be in, plus he could pick out his hair easily. Grantaire was standing next to his father, Maxence, with a black suit and red mask and his mother, Elena, in a gold dress with gold gloves and sweetheart neckline with a matching handheld gold mask. Enjolras excused himself from Adeline before he stood up to greet the family. He shared a secret smile with Grantaire as he approached them to welcome them to the ball.

"Welcome. Please eat, dance, enjoy, and be merry," he greeted them. Then, Maxence and Elena went to find a glass of champagne.

Grantaire walked by him and whispered into his ear, "You look delicious. I can't wait until I take you out of that suit. Piece by piece."

Enjolras blushed under his mask, but couldn't say anything because Grantaire had already disappeared.

It soon came time for the ball to officially start with his parents doing their welcome speech and announcing the spotlight dance. Enjolras rolled his eyes as he led Cosette out the dance floor and the spotlight was shined on them as they started to dance.

"You really hate this, don't you?" his friend asked him as they moved around the dance floor.

"Yes, but we're almost done," Enjolras said.

They finished the dance, allowing for others to start dancing. Enjolras mingled his way around the room. He saw that Grantaire was doing the same. He noticed that his parents were trying to stay as far away from Grantaire's parents as possible.

***

After about two hours, Enjolras was sitting with Adeline when he saw Grantaire leave the room. He saw Adeline smile, knowingly, as he stood up and left the room. He walked down the hallway, searching for his boyfriend. But instead of him finding Grantaire, he found him by grabbing his arm and pulling it toward him.

"Hi." Enjolras pressed their foreheads together.

"Hi. How about we go find a more private spot?" Grantaire took his hand.

"Okay."

Grantaire led them to the gated backyard of the hotel, pressing Enjolras against the back gate, one hand on his hips as the other moved to pull his mask off. Followed by his as he slowly brought his mouth to Enjolras's.

Enjolras's hand wrapped around Grantaire's waist, pulling him closer. Grantaire's hand cupped his face. He parted his lips and Grantaire's tongue met his, making him go weak at the knees like most of their kisses did. Grantaire started to undo the tie. He threw it to the floor as his fingers started on the buttons. Enjolras pulled away from the kiss to start kissing down Grantaire's neck.

With the shirt completely unbuttoned, Grantaire brought his hands over his chest as his mouth started kissing at his collarbone. Enjolras moaned, his hand falling in Grantaire's curls.

"Fuck...we should really move to our apartment before we have sex against this gate," Enjolras said.

Grantaire made eye contact with his lover. "Would that be so bad? It's not like we haven't had sex in a closet at school."

"You got me there," Enjolras replied. "I want a kiss."

Grantaire brought his mouth back to Enjolras's and gave him a deep, passionate kiss. But as they kissed, they heard a clank of metal causing them to pull away from each other. They looked in the direction only to see that it was Marguerite coming out for her cigarette.

"What the hell is going on here?" Marguerite demanded.

Enjolras frantically buttoned up his shirt and got his jacket into place. He reached for Grantaire's hand. "Mother."

Marguerite watched the movements of their hands and she realized what was going on. Enjolras could see the betrayal play across her face, but before another word could be said, Alphonse made his appearance.

"What are you doing out here, Marguerite? There are people we need to talk to…" he trailed off when his eyes caught Enjolras, Grantaire, and their hands. "What the fuck?"

"I caught them. Making out," Marguerite explained.

"This better be a joke, Julien, or so help me god," Alphonse said.

"It's not, Father. It's true. I love him. I've loved him for two years now," Enjolras admitted.

A crowd started to form that consisted of Enjolras's friends, Grantaire's parents, and Adeline. Elena and Maxence stepped forward when they saw their son.

"Nic, what is going on out here?" Elena started, but then caught sight of their hands. "Oh, I see."

"Mom, Dad, I can explain," Grantaire said.

"Oh, I can't wait to hear this." Alphonse crossed his arms.

"Be quiet. He wasn't talking to you," Maxence said.

They all ignored him to wait for Grantaire to continue, but when he didn't Alphonse spoke again.

"We're waiting. Explained to us what you think this is." He gestured to the two of them. "Explained to us, Julien, what in the ever living fuck were you thinking by falling in love with a fucking Grantaire? They're the enemy!" Alphonse spat "Grantaire" like it was disease.

"Oh, that's rich, coming from you," Maxence commented. "It was 95 years ago, Alphonse. Let it go. It was a small five acre piece of land. What was your family going to do with it anyway?"

"I guess we'll never know now we will because your family stole it," Alphonse cried.

"My family didn't steal anything. That land was up for the taking, my God," Maxence replied.

"Then, why do I have a receipt for the purchase of the land?" Alphonse's face was growing redder and redder with anger. Maxence just stood there, rolling his eyes.

"By all means, show it to me," Maxence deadpanned.

"I don't have to show you anything, Maxence!" Alphonse exclaimed. He turned back to Enjolras. "Answer my question, Julien."

"I...I...I…" Enjolras stumbled over trying to find the right words. Grantaire squeezed his hand.

"Spit it out!" Alphonse bellowed.

"I don't know. I just did. I'm not ashamed of loving him," Enjolras said.

Alphonse stared at Enjolras like he had been slapped before walking to him. He grabbed him roughly by the arm and pulled him away from Grantaire. "We're going home. By the time, we get there, you better be ready to take those words back."

Enjolras reached for Grantaire, but Alphonse forced him away from his boyfriend until they could no longer be seen by Grantaire or his parents.

With his lover gone, Grantaire turned to his parents. He walked to them, desperately trying to make them understand.

"I love him. I need you to understand that," Grantaire said.

Maxence held up a hand. "Let's not make a scene. We'll talk about this at home."

Grantaire followed Maxence and Elena to the limo that would take them home. The ride was ridden in silence between the three of them. All Grantaire could think about was how rough Alphonse had grabbed Enjolras. He didn't care what happened, but if Alphonse laid a hand on his lover, he would be having words with him.

As they rode home, Grantaire was trying to come up with the best way to make his parents understand. Make them accept his relationship with Enjolras, but he didn't know how because they never listened to him before. It was almost like they had forgotten that they had a son or something. The limo pulled up outside their building. Grantaire opened the door and got out, he waited for his parents, then shut the door.

"Dad, Mom, I—" he was cut off.

"Let's get upstairs, then we can talk." Maxence gestured for Grantaire to walk.

The three of them entered their penthouse. Grantaire took off his suit jacket and tie, holding his mask in his hands. He let his parents take off their shoes, jackets, and masks and moved into the living room. Elena sat down while Maxence went to stand near the fireplace. Grantaire slowly walked into the room.

"Dad, Mom, I love him. Do you understand that? I love him," Grantaire said.

Elena sighed. "Yes, of course, we understand that."

"We don't care that he's Julien Enjolras. Quite frankly, I find it to be a nice fuck you to Alphonse and Marguerite since this feud has grown tiring. But what I'm confused about is why didn't you just tell us? Were you worried that we would be angry? Worried that we'd forbid you from seeing him?" Maxence inquired.

"Would you have listened when I told you?" Grantaire asked. "When I tried to tell you that I was bisexual, it went in one ear and out the other. Or would you have at least paid attention?"

"We pay attention to you, Nic," Elena said.

"When?" Grantaire cried. "Because even since I entered my teen years, you two have only cared about your work. You never once came to a soccer or lacrosse game. You never came to any of the music concerts I was in or came to any art shows. You never took the time to just ask me how my day was or what I was up to. Do you realize the last I heard either of you say 'I love you' to me was my 12th birthday? Or in order for me to get attention, I needed to act out by getting sent to the principal's office, detention, or getting in trouble for graffiti."

"Nic…" his mother trailed off.

"Do you know how that feels? Being neglected by the parents you try so hard to tell yourself that their opinions just don't matter to you, but deep down they do?" Grantaire asked them. "Do you think that I wanted to keep my relationship with Julien a secret? Of course, I didn't. But I didn't know what your reaction would be. We also didn't have much of a choice because we knew that Julien's parents would have a field day once they found out. You guys say that the feud has grown tiring, but can you honestly tell me that in 2014, you wouldn't have reacted badly?"

"Nic…" his father started.

"Just forget it. It's not like my happiness matters anyway." Grantaire turned to head upstairs.

"Nic…" Elena stood up, but Maxence placed a hand on her shoulder stopping her from going after him.

Grantaire entered his bedroom, feeling tears forming in his eyes. He just wanted to see Enjolras and make sure that his love was okay. He got his phone out and opened his text messages.

 **_Grantaire (11:27 P.M.): Hey angel. I know tonight wasn't the night that we planned, but at least they know now, right? Are you okay? I love you. Until my dying day._ **❤️

***

Over at Enjolras's apartment, he was being shoved inside the door. His father's grip on his arm was painful and he was trying not to cry out. Adeline had asked her son to let him go, but Alphonse refused.

"Are you ready to take those words back?" Alphonse demanded.

"No, because even if I did take them back, it's not going to change anything. I love him," Enjolras said, ripping his arm out of Alphonse's grip.

"He's a Grantaire. You're an Enjolras!"

"I don't care!" 

"Well, you better start caring because now you've ruined our good name." 

"It's just a name for fuck's sake. What about things that matter? People! Love! Kindness!"

"What part of the Grantaires are our enemies, do you not understand?"

"Nicolas is not our enemy." Enjolras felt tears start to prick.

"He is, if I say he is," Alphonse said. "You've clearly lost all your senses, and if there is only one way to get through to you, so be it." He walked up to Enjolras, back handing him across the face. Hard enough that it caused Enjolras to stumble. Enjolras refused to look at his father as he held his hand against his cheek. "You're forbidden from ever seeing him again. You'll look at me when I'm talking to you, you faggot slut." Alphonse grabbed Enjolras's arms, forcing him to look at him. "You're forbidden from ever seeing him, do I make myself clear?"

Enjolras felt the tears fall down his cheeks as he nodded. He pulled out of his father's arms, running for the stairs. Adeline watched him disappear up the stairs before turning to her son. She looked at him with disappointed eyes before calling for Mary to bring ice.

Enjolras entered his room, throwing off his suit jacket. He reached for his phone to see if there was a message from Grantaire, and to his relief there was.

**_Enjolras (11:49 P.M.): Hey, love. I can't really talk now, but I love you. I will always love you. ❤️_ **

Enjolras walked up to the bathroom to look in the mirror. His cheek was red and he could see the imprint of his father's hand. It was definitely going to bruise. He was desperately trying to hold the tears back, but as he heard his bedroom door open and Adeline call out his name, the tears started coming.

Adeline came into the bathroom, taking him into her arms as he broke down crying. "I know. I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

She held him as she led him down the stairs to the couch. Enjolras clung tightly to her as she rocked him back and forth, in an attempt to calm him down.

Eventually, she succeeded and she whispered in his ear. "Can I see?"

Enjolras pulled his head back and allowed her to see his cheek. Adeline hissed when she saw the beginnings of black and blue marks. She reached for the ice.

"Here. Place this over it." Adeline gently placed the ice against his cheek. Enjolras winced as the cold came against his tender cheek. "I'm sorry."

Enjolras took the ice from her. "Did they say anything to you?"

"Nope. The moment you came upstairs, I asked Mary to get ice and came up here." Adeline reached for her grandson's free hand. "Have you talked to Nicolas yet?"

"I sent him a text saying that I couldn't talk right now and that I loved him," Enjolras answered her.

Adeline placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "If you want to say more, I'll send it for you."

Enjolras reached for his phone, handing it to her. Adeline started to type.

**_Enjolras (11:53 P.M): I'm sorry, my love. It didn't go over very well with my parents, which we figured that it wouldn't. How'd it go with yours? I love you._ **

Adeline sent the text and looked up at him. "You didn't tell him about your father striking you."

"He'll find out soon enough," Enjolras said.

Adeline didn't say anything for a few minutes until the phone buzzed in her hands.

**_My Love 💘(12:01 A.M.): Nothing was really said between my parents and I. What exactly was said between you and yours? Are you alone? Can you FaceTime?_ **

Adeline read the message for Enjolras. He held out his phone and gave her the ice.

"Do you want me to go or stay?" Adeline asked.

"Stay, please," Enjolras said as the FaceTime call connected.

As Grantaire's face came up on the screen, Enjolras did his best to try and keep his cheek out of the light, but it was no use because Grantaire saw it right away.

 _"Angel, what happened?!"_ Grantaire cried out.

A tear slipped from Enjolras's eye. "My father slapped me after he forbade me from seeing you."

 _"I'll hurt him."_ Anger was in Grantaire's eyes.

"No, Nic. Hurting him, isn't going to do anything, but escalate the situation."

Grantaire sighed. _"I'm sorry, love. I wish I could hold you right now."_

"Me too."

Their conversation went on for a few more minutes with Grantaire explaining what his parents had and their whole conversation, or lack thereof.

_"I was kind of expecting more of a blow out between them and me, but I'm happy I was able to get what I said off my chest."_

"Do you believe them when they say they are sick of the feud?"

 _"I don't know. The fact that my father said that he was glad it was you because it was a fuck you to your father makes me want to believe it, but I'll trust their actions more than words, right now,"_ Grantaire yawned. _"I want to stay longer, but I can feel myself falling asleep here. Text me with updates tomorrow. I love you, angel. Until my dying day."_

"I love you, too." Enjolras made a kiss noise into the phone and waited for it to be returned before ending the call.

"Do you two always say that?"

"Say what?"

"'Until my dying day.'"

Enjolras nodded his head. "If not those exact words, then some variation of it."

Silence fell over the room for a few minutes until Enjolras asked, "What do you think they'll do to make sure that I don't see him?"

"I don't know, honey, but I promise that we'll find a way to make sure that you do." Adeline kissed his forehead. "Now, get some sleep."

Enjolras nodded his head as she stood up and walked out of the room.

Enjolras went to put on his pajamas. As he changed out of his shirt, his eyes caught sight of the tattoo over his heart. His finger traced the letters before he looked in the mirror to see his cheek. It hadn't changed much, except the black and blue color was becoming more prominent. He pulled his shirt on before brushing his teeth.

When he laid down on the bed, Angel came and laid down next to him. He pulled the cat into his arms. Tears falling into her hair as he cried himself to sleep.

***

The next morning, Enjolras was getting dressed when there was a knock on the door. Mary was welcomed in with Angel's food and the message that his parents would like him downstairs. Enjolras glanced at the mirror to see that his father's handprint was entirely black and blue. He sighed before going downstairs.

His parents were sitting on the couch. Both were glaring at him as he came to stand in front of them.

"We have come to the decision on what we are going to do regarding your relationship with _him_." Alphonse's voice was dripping with venom as he said "him".

"As we said last night, you're forbidden from seeing Nicolas Grantaire. So, on top of that, when you are home, your phone and laptop are to be with us unless you need the laptop for homework. But if that's the case, you do it down here, so we can monitor what you are doing. Two, you will go to school and work, and to make sure you don't go anywhere near him during school, we will be assigning someone to follow you. Three, you will no longer be working shifts with him at Lamarque's bookshop. We already made Lamarque change your hours. Instead of working on Monday, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. You will now be working Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, but the morning shift for Saturdays while _he_ gets the night shift. And finally, you _will_ be attending Dartmouth in the fall, and that is all there is to say on the matter," Marguerite listed off.

"You are treating me like I'm a child," Enjolras replied.

"Well, you should have thought about that before _this_ made front page news." Alphonse held up that morning's newspaper.

 **_SCANDAL!_ ** _THE SONS OF RIVAL FAMILIES REVEALED TO BE IN SECRET RELATIONSHIP!_

Enjolras turned to go upstairs, hearing his mother call after him, "Make sure to send your phone and laptop down here."

Getting back to his room, he grabbed his phone to quickly make sure that all sexting photos of himself were deleted from his phone and the cloud and that all sexting photos of Grantaire were still under the password protected folder of their password protected folder that his parents would never break (the password was the date of their anniversary and no one knew what that was except for him, Grantaire, Adeline, Mary, and Lamarque). He made sure to delete all their text messages, recent phone calls, as well as texting Grantaire's number to Adeline's phone. He waited to delete the messages until Adeline sent back a thumbs up emoji.

Once his phone was finished, Enjolras went to his laptop to wipe it clean of emails between him and Grantaire (all the emails were already all printed off and hiding in a binder in his closet). Their relationship was staying theirs if he had anything to say about it.

After every little thing regarding their relationship was safe or deleted from his phone and laptop, Enjolras brought them downstairs. He set them on the coffee table before glaring at his parents.

He went back upstairs and wrapped himself in the blanket Grantaire brought over that he kept hidden under the sheets on his bed. Enjolras opened the balcony door and stepped outside with _City of Heavenly Fire._

Adeline came up a little while later with a tray for breakfast and two mugs of coffee. "Do you want to text Nicolas to tell him what's up?" She held out her phone.

He shook his head. "I have a better idea on how I'm going to communicate with the man I love."

"How?" Adeline asked.

Enjolras smiled at her as he reached for the blueberry muffin. "Old fashioned love letters." Adeline smiled softly. "It would be great if I could keep them in an old shoebox in your room."

"Of course," Adeline said.

"I love how my parents really think they're going to keep us apart," Enjolras mused. "So, do you want to do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Since my parents forced Lamarque's hand with his scheduling, I won't be working tomorrow. Do you want to deliver the first letter to him during his shift, please?" Enjolras asked her.

She agreed before leaving him to do what he wanted. Enjolras finished his breakfast before going into his bedroom to grab a notebook to write his letter.

***

The next morning, Enjolras walked through the school gates with all eyes on him as he was followed by the man his parents had hired to "watch" him, Javert. Javert watched him with careful eyes to make sure he didn't go anywhere near Grantaire. Enjolras sat down at the table where his friends were sitting, but they looked at him as if they didn't know him. Combeferre hadn't arrived yet, so he was going to be doing this with no support.

He rolled his eyes and said, "Okay, if you have something to say. Just say it." None of them said anything. "Come on, out with it."

"Why? Why of all people did you fall for him? Nicolas Grantaire?" Courfeyrac questioned, disgust evident in his voice.

"Because it's none of your business why." Enjolras glared at his friend. "It's not like I asked to fall in love with him. I just did."

"But he's a Grantaire," Cosette commented.

"Yeah, and your point is? You fell in love with a Pontmercy." He gestured to her and Marius. He turned to Courfeyrac. "You fell in love with Alex, and no one batted a fucking eye. I fell in love with Nicolas Grantaire and it's the scandal of the century."

"We just want to know why you didn't tell us?" Marius asked.

Enjolras sighed before standing up. "You want to know why? Because of this. Because you guys would never understand. Because you're just like my parents who believe that the Grantaire family are our enemy, when they aren't. Look, you guys don't have to like it or accept it, but I love Nic, and that's not going to change."

Enjolras walked away from the table to go to his locker. He wanted nothing more than to hold Grantaire, but with Javert he couldn't even go near him. It didn't help that he could hear the whispers from people in the hallways as if he did something wrong. He grabbed his books and walked to the classroom for his first class (they wouldn't be doing much since their finals had already happened, probably would be watching movies or playing games).

***

Once the school day was over Grantaire wanted to get to work as fast as he could to see Enjolras. He hadn't heard anything from him since Saturday night because he wasn't answering any of his calls or messages. It didn't help that his parents hadn't said a word to him since their conversation on Saturday night. And his friends had been angry with him when he had gone to meet them for lunch onSunday afternoon that on Monday morning they didn't even talk to him. The only friend that did was Jehan, but that was because he had already known. His friend had simply hugged him to comfort and show him his support. 

When Grantaire arrived at the bookstore, he didn't see any sign of his boyfriend. Enjolras always seemed to be there before he was, so where was he? Grantaire looked around the bookstore searching for him. He heard the bell ring signaling someone had come in. Grantaire tried not to look disappointed when it was Genevieve, instead of Enjolras. She smiled and waved at Grantaire before going behind the counter to clock in. He looked at her confused and was just about to ask what she was doing here, when Lamarque called him in his office.

Grantaire closed the door, asking, "Where is Jules?"

"He is no longer working the same shift as you," Lamarque explained.

"What? What do you mean?" 

"You haven't talked to him, I take it then?"

"Of course not. I haven't talked to my boyfriend since Saturday night when everything went to hell. What's going on?"

"His parents forbade him from seeing you, which meant that I could no longer have you two working the same shift. I resisted as long as I could, but they soon started to threaten that if I didn't abide by their wishes, they would have this place and the café," Lamarque said. "I couldn't lose my life's work."

Grantaire clenched his teeth. "This is so unfair."

Lamarque placed a hand on his shoulder before saying, "I know, but there's someone in the cafe who wishes to see you."

Grantaire left the office to head into the café. He searched it to see who was waiting for him. To his surprise, it was Adeline. 

"Adeline? What are you doing here?" Grantaire asked.

"Julien is forbidden from leaving the apartment unless it's school or his work shift. His parents forced Lamarque to switch the schedule," Adeline said.

"Lamarque explained that. Why hasn't he called or texted?"

Adeline opened her purse and handed him an envelope. "He gave me this to give you."

Grantaire took the letter from her. The front of the envelope said "My Nicolas" on the front. He opened it and took out the letter.

_My darling Nic,_

_First, I wanted to say that I love you. I love you so much. You have been my heart for two years now, and you'll be my heart forever._

_I've wanted to contact you, but on Sunday morning my parents demanded that when I'm home my phone and laptop are with them, so I can't text or call you unless it's through Adeline's phone (hence why I sent you her number). Our meetings under the bleachers or in empty stairwells can no longer be a thing because my parents are making me have a bodyguard that will make sure I don't come near you. The only way I could think of contacting you was by writing a letter. Love letters, if you will._

_I want to continue to communicate by love letters because this way no one knows about them, but us and whoever we use as our middleman. I figured that we could either use Lamarque or Adeline or both. I figured I could have Adeline come by the bookstore on the days you work with mine and you could leave mine with Lamarque. Or we could come up with a different solution. I don't know._

_I miss you. I miss you so much. The only thing that is getting me through this is the idea of us being in London in our flat and it can be just us. Oh, yeah, and my parents demanded that I go to Dartmouth now that they know about us, but I say they can go to hell. How are your parents doing with all of this? Have they said anything since Saturday night?_

_I just hate this. I hate being apart from you. I hate that because of something so stupid, we're being forced apart. But just know, my love, that wherever you go, my heart and love are always with you._

_I love you with all my heart,_

_Julien_

_P.S. "I am_ catastrophically _in love with you." — Will Herondale,_ Clockwork Princess

Grantaire finished the letter and looked at Adeline. He placed the letter back in the envelope.

"If you can wait here until my break, I will have my reply for him," Grantaire replied.

"I have some more errands to run, but I'll be back here around 6:30. Will that work?" Adeline asked, picking up her purse and her cardigan.

"That will be perfect. Thank you," Grantaire said.

Grantaire went back into the bookstore to clock in and he worked tirelessly until it was time to take his break when he wrote his letter to Enjolras. He had enough time to finish it before he saw Adeline walk back in the café. He handed it to her, and went back to eating his dinner as Adeline left the café.

***

Adeline arrived home only to see Enjolras sitting on the couch in the living room, reading _City of Heavenly Fire._ He heard the door close and looked up at her. Enjolras set his book down and went to her.

"Did you see him? Did you give him the letter? What did he say?" Enjolras asked.

"One question at a time, Julien." She held up a hand to pause him. "First of all, yes, I saw him. He looks just as miserable as you do. Second, I gave him the letter and he wrote one back." Adeline took the letter from her purse and handed it to him.

Enjolras smiled at the letter. He kissed her cheek, grabbed his book, and ran upstairs to his room. He sat down on his bed to read his letter.

_My angel,_

_I know how much you love me, angel, because I love you the exact same amount._

_I figured something like that had happened, but I wasn't sure. I'm sorry that your parents are such assholes. But I think the idea of communicating by love letters is a very wonderful, romantic idea._

_I think I prefer to just leave them in our lockets. That way it's not a hassle for Lamarque or Adeline to remember them. My combination is 6-1-18, which I think you already knew, but just to remind you. Yours is 3-5-31, right?_

_Angel, I'm sorry. I'm not sorry for falling in love with you. I could never be sorry for that, but I'm sorry that we have such small-minded families. How did your friends take it? My friends were both disappointed and angry, but I think it was more disappointment than anger. Jehan supported him since he already knew. My parents haven't talked to me since Saturday. They won't even look at me. I don't know what they're thinking._

_I hate this, too, angel. But we'll get through this. We'll be together, I promise. Like you said wherever you go, my heart and love goes with._

_I love you,_

_Your Nicolas_

_P.S. "I love you, Julien Enjolras*. I love you more than starlight." — Emma Carstairs,_ Lady Midnight

_*I realize that it should say Julian Blackthorn, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up._

Enjolras smiled at the letter before putting it back in the envelope and going to his desk to write his reply.

***

_July 2016_

For the next few weeks, they wrote love letters that were left in their work lockers. The letters contained reminders of how much they loved each other, how they were doing, and them making their plans for their move to London. But what they really wanted more than anything was to hold each other. They hated that all they could share was sad secret smiles at school, which hadn't lasted long because they graduated high school two weeks ago.

Adeline could see how miserable her grandson was when she would catch him looking out over the city with a far away look in his eye. It made her want to shake her son and daughter-in-law and make them see that they were making their son miserable.

Late one night before she went to bed, she knocked on his door. He called her to come in. She walked in and saw him, sitting on his bed, the covers over his lap with _Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy_ resting on his lip. His hand was petting Angel. She came to sit down on the bed.

"What novella story are you on?" Adeline started.

" _Nothing but Shadows._ The story of James Herondale going to the Academy and slowly becoming friends with Matthew, Thomas, and Christopher," Enjolras explained.

"Okay," Adeline said. He started to read again before she asked. "How are you doing?" Enjolras looked up at his grandmother and tears started pouring from his eyes. She took him into his arms. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm sorry." She ran her fingers through his hair.

"I just want to see him. That's all I want, even if it's just for a few hours, I just want to see him." Enjolras cried into her shoulder.

"I know. I know," Adeline said. "I'm sure he's miserable without you."

He finished crying. "What my parents want to do for the summer doesn't help either."

"Have you told him?"

Enjolras shook his head. "I haven't figured out how to tell him. Plus, I didn't think that was something that I should tell him in a letter."

"You're right," Adeline said. Enjolras started crying again. "Hey, we'll figure something out, okay?" Enjolras didn't say anything. "Now, try and get some sleep. Come on, I'll tuck you in."

Enjolras marked his place in the book, setting it on his bedside table. He snuggled down in the covers as Adeline tucked him. She pressed a kiss to his forehead before turning out the light.

"I love you," Adeline said, making her way to the door.

"I love you, too." Enjolras has returned to petting Angel. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Adeline closed the door.

Adeline closed her bedroom door, pulling out her phone. She found Grantaire's number to send him a text.

**_Adeline (11:34 P.M.): Hey. It's Adeline. Do you want to see Julien?_ **

**_Grantaire (11:47 P.M.): Absolutely, yes. But how can I? He can't go anywhere without that ridiculous bodyguard following after him._ **

**_Adeline (11:48 P.M.): I have an idea. I'll text you with more details tomorrow._ **

***

A week later, Enjolras's parents went away from Chicago for the weekend. They had demanded Enjolras go with them until Adeline assured them that she would make sure that he stayed away from Grantaire.

On Saturday night, Enjolras was in his room, watching _Family Feud_ when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Enjolras said.

Adeline came in with a smile on her face. "I have a surprise for you, but first I need you to get out of your sweatpants and put these on." She threw him a pair of heather gray slacks and a navy blue button down.

"What?" Enjolras looked at the clothes.

"Just trust me." Adeline grabbed his black Converse from his closet.

Enjolras did as she requested, then he turned to her. "Okay. I'm dressed. What's going on?"

"Head up to the roof and you'll see." Adeline kissed his forehead.

Enjolras looked at her suspiciously before following her instructions. He left their apartment and walked down the hall to the door that let up to the roof. When he got up there, the door was open (propped open with a cinder block since if it closed, it locked from the inside). He saw fairy lights were spread out across the roof and rose petals made a path to Grantaire, holding a single rose in his hand.

Enjolras ran to him. Grantaire caught him as his legs wrapped around his waist. They hugged tightly for what felt like forever before Enjolras pulled away to kiss Grantaire for the first time in almost a month. Enjolras let his legs fall from his waist as his mouth moved against Grantaire's and his hands pulled on his hair. They didn't pull away from the kiss until they needed to come up for air. Grantaire cupped his face to give him a quick chaste kiss before pressing their foreheads together.

"Surprise!" Grantaire smiled.

Enjolras burst out into tears as he wrapped his arms around Grantaire. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Grantaire whispered into his ear. He pulled away from the hug. "This is obviously for you." He held the rose up between them.

Enjolras took the rose as Grantaire wiped a tear away from his eye. "Thank you."

"Nothing can tear us apart, come what may, remember? I will love you until my dying day," Grantaire said.

Just as he finished saying that, music started playing through speakers. Recognizing the introduction music immediately, Enjolras gave him a watery smile.

"May I have this dance?" Grantaire held up his hand.

Enjolras took his hand as Grantaire led him to the middle of the roof to dance under the fairy lights. Grantaire wrapped his arm around his waist as Enjolras placed his free hand around his neck, so his fingers were playing with curly cues at the nape of his neck. Their hands were pressed against Grantaire's heart, their foreheads resting against each other. They started to sway just as the words started to come through. Grantaire smiled at him as he started to sing along.

_🎵Never knew I could feel like this. Like I've never seen the sky before. Want to vanish inside your kiss. Everyday I love you, more and more🎵_

He kissed Enjolras deeply, but chastely. He moved his head to sing into Enjolras's ear.

_🎵Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing? Telling me to give you everything. Seasons may change, winter to spring. But I love you until the end of time. Come what may. Come what may. I will love you until my dying day🎵_

Enjolras moved to rest his head on Grantaire's shoulder and his arms around his neck as Grantaire's arms moved around his waist, pulling him as close as he could. They continued slow dancing as Grantaire whispered the lyrics of the song to Enjolras. It made Enjolras hold him tighter.

_🎵Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place. Come what may. Come what may. I will love you until my dying day🎵_

The song finished and Grantaire kissed him under his ear. "I promise."

Enjolras felt a single tear fall from his eye. It fell on Grantaire's shirt. They pulled away from each other, keeping their foreheads pressed together. Grantaire cupped Enjolras's face with his boyfriend's hand wrapping around his wrist.

Enjolras closed his eyes and with his voice barely above a whisper, he said into the air between them. "Nicolas. Take me to the apartment. Please."

Grantiare pulled away from Enjolras to grab his phone. "Just let me text Adeline. I told her about the apartment and that if we went there, I'd let her know, so she could cover for us."

After sending the message, Grantaire took Enjolras's hand and they started their trek to the apartment. Grantaire got his key out to open the door. Enjolras stepped inside to turn the bedside lamp while Grantaire locked the door.

Grantaire walked to Enjolras, placing his hands on his hips and pulling him closer. "What do you want tonight, my angel?"

"I want us to make love. Reaffirm our love for each other. Slow, soft, gentle. Just like that first time," Enjolras whispered.

"We can do that," Grantaire said, his finger finding the buttons of Enjolras's shirt and he started to undo them, pulling it from where it was tucked in.

With the shirt open, he pushed it down Enjolras's arms as his mouth started to press kisses to his shoulders. Enjolras's hand rested on his biceps as he closed his eyes, his forehead pressed against Grantaire's chest. Grantaire quickly undid the buttons of his own shirt before throwing it on the floor, pulling Enjolras closer until it was nothing but skin-on-skin. His hand tangled in Enjolras's curls, kissing his brow as Enjolras mouthed at his shoulder and his hands explored his body. Enjolras shuffled his feet until his knees hit the bed and together they stumbled down onto it.

Together, they crawled until their heads rested on the pillows. Grantaire rolled to the side as they kissed. Enjolras wrapped his arm around his waist, pulling him closer. Grantaire brought his hand under Enjolras's jaw, pulling away from the kiss. His thumb caressed his chin, watching the passion and awe play across Enjolras's face. His lover beamed at him, bringing their foreheads together.

Enjolras caressed his chest, letting his hand rest over his heart. He leaned over to kiss the tattoo. His legs tangling in Grantaire's, desperate to be as close as possible. Grantaire's hand found the zipper of Enjolras's pants and started to push them down. Enjolras kicked them to the floor. He took Grantaire's hand in his and brought it south, under his boxers, wrapping it around his cock.

Grantaire pushed the material down Enjolras's legs. He finished undressing himself and pulled Enjolras closer to him. Then, he took both of their cocks in hand and started stroking them together. Enjolras gasped, nails digging into Grantaire's bicep. Enjolras started to rut against him, slowly moving his hips to add friction. Grantaire brought his mouth to Enjolras shoulder and bit down. Enjolras's grip on him tightened.

One of Enjolras's hands joined Grantaire's, increasing the pressure on their cocks. Pulling Grantaire's mouth back to his, he rolled on top of his lover. Still stroking their cocks, Enjolras used his free hand to reach for the lube.

"I want you to open me up," Enjolras said, placing the bottle next to Grantaire.

Grantaire let go of their cocks, letting Enjolras pick up where he left off, continuing to thrust his hips forward a little. He held onto Enjolras as he sat up, keeping his boyfriend in his lap. Enjolras smiled as he kissed him again. Grantaire uncapped the bottle and squeezed some lube onto his fingers. Reaching behind Enjolras, he slowly crept his finger toward his entrance and pushed inside. Enjolras bucked his hips forward

"Fuck!" Enjolras's grip loosened for a second before tightening again as he stroked.

Grantaire sighed as his fingers circled the muscle, all while Enjolras's hand stayed wrapped around his cock. "More, Jules, please."

Enjolras stroked them harder and moved his hips faster. Their mouths tangled in another kiss, swallowing each other's moans and groans. Grantaire's fingers paused their movements, resting on Enjolras's ass, squeezing it. With another quick stroke and thrust, their cum mixed together over Enjolras's hand and their chests.

"Fuck…" Grantaire breathed against Enjolras's jaw. "I missed you so much."

Enjolras wiped his hand on the sheets, pushing himself flush against him. His fingers tangled in dark curls as their lips joined once again. Grantaire's fingers entered Enjolras again, sliding his fingers around, scissoring them as he moved them deeper.

Enjolras wrapped his arms around his neck, caressing his shoulder blades, his mouth pressing barely there kisses along his jaw. Grantaire closed his eyes as his desire deepened.

"I will love you the rest of my days. I hope you know that," Grantaire mumbled, pressing Enjolras closer with his free hand.

Enjolras pulled away to meet his eyes. He tucked a piece of hair behind his ear; knuckles caressed his cheek, softly. "Come what may."

"Come what may."

Enjolras gave him a blinding smile before kissing him once again. Grantaire continued the movements of his fingers. Enjolras wiggled his ass, wanting Grantaire's fingers deeper. He applied more lube, pushed in with three fingers, letting his fingers slide in as deep as they could go. He brushed them across Enjolras's prostate. Enjolras hissed, his nails digging into the skin of Grantaire's shoulder blades.

"Ohh, love…" Enjolras keened above Grantaire.

Grantaire brought his mouth to Enjolras's collarbone, giving feather light kisses across his chest. Enjolras's head fell back as he sighed. His fingers tangled in the dark hair. Enjolras placed one hand under Grantaire's chin, bringing their mouths together.

"Grantaire...please…" Enjolras said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Pulling his fingers from inside Enjolras, Grantaire gripped his lover's thighs as he rolled over. Enjolras brought his legs as close to his chest as possible. Grantaire took his cock in his hand, lining it up with his entrance, and slowly pushing his way across the barrier. He placed his hands next to Enjolras's head. Enjolras wrapped his arms around Grantaire's torso, shifting his legs to bracket his boyfriend. Grantaire pushed all the way inside. He paused for a moment, letting his lips cover Enjolras's.

"Comfortable?" Grantaire whispered.

Enjolras brought a hand up to cup his face. "Very, but I'd be more comfortable if you moved."

Grantaire kissed his nose, then started moving, thrusting his hips in a smooth, slow pace. Enjolras closed his eyes, his head falling back against the pillows. Grantaire's mouth found its place on his neck, just below his ear, and bit down, sucking. Enjolras sighed, his hand guiding Grantaire's head across his neck. His other hand caressed Grantaire's back, over his shoulder blades and down his spine.

Grantaire brought his hand down Enjolras's side, bringing his leg over his hip, letting his cock go deeper. Enjolras moaned at the movement. He kept his hand under Enjolras's knee as he continued to thrust, loving the sounds that his boyfriend made.

"God, Jules, you're exquisite. I love you so much," Grantaire mouthed at his collarbone.

Enjolras continued to keep his eyes closed, adoring the feeling of Grantaire doing whatever he wanted to his body. Kissing, licking, marking it up like it was his to own. Which it was. Enjolras was Grantaire's. Only his. For the rest of his life.

"Nic…" Enjolras sighed, breathlessly. "More. Please."

Grantaire's thrusts were faster, but still smooth and deep. He pressed himself closer to his lover. He placed Enjolras's legs under his arms, almost bending his lover in half, and his cock went even deeper. Enjolras cried out, wrapping his arms around his neck. Their mouths met once again.

Reaching for Enjolras's arms, Grantaire pinned them above his head. He dragged his mouth across his chest, collarbone, neck, jaw, and face as he spoke, "I know I keep saying this, but I missed you so much. I missed your warmth. I missed the taste of your kisses. They're so sweet and intoxicating, and I can never get enough of it." He started to lick the sweat from his collarbone and chest, all while continuing to speak, "Your touch is even worse. I can't tell you how much I've missed your touch. I never want you to stop touching me." Keeping Enjolras's hand pinned to pillows, he laced their fingers together. "But most of all, I've just missed you. Our conversations. The way your eyes light up when you're passionate about something. How smart and intelligent you are. I never realized how completely gone for and devoted to you, I am, until I had to go this agonizing month without you."

Grantaire kissed his boyfriend, their tongues sliding against each other. Enjolras wrenched his hands from Grantaire's to cup his face and tangle the other in his hair. He brought his legs tighter around him, the heels of his feet dug into Grantaire's spine.

"I've missed you, too, so much," Enjolras mumbled into his ear. "I've missed your smile and the playfulness of your eyes. How when I'm with you, you make me forget about everything. Nothing in the world exists other than you." His pointer finger glided over Grantaire's face, circling his eyes, down his nose, around his mouth, moving gently across his lips until Grantaire took it into his mouth and started to suck. Their eyes staying locked with each other as Grantaire's thrusts grew shallower, but deeper. "I've missed the exciting and erotic feelings that you stir inside of me. I missed our sex and how magnificently hot and passionate it. The feeling of your cock inside me. I tried to imagine that my fingers were your cock when I would get myself off, but they pale in comparison to your length and size. But what I missed the most was you. Just plain old wonderful you. The man I've given my heart to. The man who I'm not letting go without a fight."

Their mouths once again slotted together. Hearing Enjolras's words caused a frenzy to erupt inside Grantaire. He pulled out of his arms, his hands bringing his lover's legs closer to his chest. Enjolras cried out.

"Keep your legs like this because I'm going to fuck you now. I don't want to hear anything from your mouth that's not a scream, whimper, or moan of my name. I want you to see fucking stars. I want you to keep your arms here." Pinning them above his head again. "Am I understood?" Grantaire asked. 

Enjolras nodded as Grantaire planted a rough, open-mouthed kiss on his mouth. He started to move his hips faster and harder. His thrusts deep and shallow. Sliding his cock all the way out, then slamming into Enjolras over and over. Grantaire had planted his hand at Enjolras's hips, using them as an anchor as well as keeping them on the bed.

His lover was biting his lip above him with his eyes closed. Seeing white behind his closed eyes as Grantaire continuously sent pleasure up his spine and down to fingers and toes. He grapes onto the headboard as it was the only thing he could use to hold onto to.

"Does this feel good, baby? It feels good for me. Being buried so deep in your tight warmth." Grantaire asked. Slowing his pace for just a second, then driving in deep again. Enjolras moaned in response, crying out his name. "It'll take that as a yes."

"Mmhmm…" Enjolras sighed. "Nic...fuck me...please."

Grantaire bit his lip and knew when he hit Enjolras's prostate because his boyfriend howled. Begging him to do it again. So, every few thrusts, he massaged it with his cock. Unable to get enough of how it caused Enjolras to howl and moan his name.

"Ohhh, yes, Nic! Yes!" 

Enjolras's grip on the headboard was slipping from the sweat on his hands. He could feel that his arms were shaking from his vice-like grip. Heat was pouring into his stomach, his legs were vibrating as he felt himself start to propel him off the cliff.

"Nic! I'm going to come. I can feel it," he warned his lover.

"Okay, baby," Grantaire said. "Do you think you could come on just my cock? Am I fucking you well enough for that?"

"Yes. Please," he whispered.

Grantaire's hard and rough thrusts persisted as he felt his lover start to quiver and clench in the beginnings of completion. His grip on his hips was bruising and he put a note in the back of his mind to kiss or caress every inch of Enjolras's skin to soothe any ache he had after the fact.

Enjolras came with a loud and deafening scream of his name when his cock hit his prostate again. His back arching off the bed. Cum poured from his cock, landing on his stomach. Grantaire couldn't help himself, he brought his mouth down to lick it off.

As Enjolras slowly returned to the earth, Grantaire pulled out of his boyfriend. Not wanting to overstimulate him. He laid down next to Enjolras, who had a dazed and sleepy look on his face. Taking his cock in his hand, he started to stroke himself. His own orgasm wasn't far off anyway, it would only take two or three strokes.

With a short, small groan, Grantaire came over his hand. Enjolras turned his head to watch the pleasure dazzle across Grantaire's face as cum dribbled over his hand. Taking what strength he had left, Enjolras maneuvered himself to lick up the remnants from his hand, chest, and cock. Giving the tip a small kiss when he finished.

Enjolras laid back down next to Grantaire, lacing their hands together. His boyfriend turned to him, cupping his face.

"Did I hurt you?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras shook his head. "No, it was marvelous."

Grantaire hummed as he started to kiss down his neck and chest again. Soft, gentle, feather light kisses. After making sure that every spot that he had touched was kissed and caressed, he pulled Enjolras into his arms. Enjolras rested his head against his chest, his finger tracing the outline of the tattoo over his heart.

"Mmm...I love you." Enjolras kissed his sweaty chest.

Grantaire smiled, kissed his forehead, and continued to run his fingers through Enjolras's sweaty curls. Neither of them said anything for a very long time, allowing them to enjoy each other's company after weeks of being apart. Grantaire pressed another kiss to Enjolras's forehead.

"Are you still not talking to your parents?" Enjolras asked him.

Grantaire sighed. "Yep. They sometimes look like they have something to say to me, but they don't say it. I know I need to talk to my parents, but I just don't know how."

Enjolras didn't say anything. He could feel tears forming behind his eyes. He pulled out of Grantaire's arms and sat up, turning away from his lover as the sheets pooled at his waist. Grantaire raised an eyebrow. He placed a hand on the small of his back as he sat up. He pressed a kiss to his shoulder when he heard Enjolras sniffle.

"Angel? What's wrong?" Grantaire questioned.

Enjolras turned to Grantaire, his eyes rimmed with red as tears fell from his eyes. Grantaire quickly wiped it away.

"In order for them to ensure that I stay away from you, my parents are sending me to stay with some family friends in Connecticut for the summer until August when they take me to Dartmouth themselves," Enjolras said. "But I don't want to go. I don't want to be apart from you."

Grantaire cupped his face. "I know, angel, I know. When are they doing this?"

"Next Saturday," Enjolras said. "I didn't want to tell you in a letter that's why I didn't tell you sooner."

Grantaire kissed his cheek. "Have you tried talking to them?"

Enjolras nodded. "Yes, but they won't budge. All they say is: 'You're the enemy and no son of theirs will be dating the enemy of our family.' Their opinion hasn't changed. Adeline has even tried talking to them, but nothing comes of it. I don't know what to do."

"We'll figure it out. Even if I have to follow your car and take you away from there myself, we are going to be together. You have my word." Grantaire kissed his forehead.

Enjolras wrapped his arms around him and he held onto his lover tightly.

***

Grantaire knocked on the door of his parent's office. Hoping that they wouldn't send him away.

"Come in." He heard his mother say.

He opened the door and with a deep breath, took a step inside. Grantaire looked from his mother to his father. His mother had set her glasses on her desk. His father just looked at him, expectantly.

"Can I talk to both of you? Please? And if that's not okay, can I at least talk and you listen?" Grantaire asked. Neither of his parents said anything, they just stared at him. With another deep breath, he started, "I love Julien. I love him with all my heart. And if you have a problem with that, I'm sorry, but it's not going to change anything. It's bad enough that his parents have forbidden him from seeing me. They forced Lamarque to change his work schedule, and they won't allow him to have any contact with me. I had to sneak over to his place this week while his parents were gone just to see him. And now, they're forcing him to go stay with some people in Connecticut to make sure that he stays away from me. He's miserable. I'm miserable. Why is it so wrong that we fell in love? Why is it so wrong that he's the person I chose to give my heart too? I will do whatever it takes to be with him. You can't join his parents in doing whatever it takes to keep us apart. I will—"

"Nic!" Maxence tried.

"—run away with him. I will always choose him over anything, even my family," Grantaire continued without stopping.

"Nic!" Maxence yelled to get his attention.

"What?" Grantaire crossed his arms.

"Take a seat," Maxence said.

Grantaire took a seat on the couch in the office. His parents brought their chairs out from behind their desks to sit in front of him.

Maxence nodded to Elena, and his mother took his hands in his. She smiled at him. "Nic, sweetheart, we have no issues with you loving Julien Enjolras. None. Whatsoever. We told you that we thought it was nice fuck you to Alphonse and Marguerite. There is nothing wrong with you two falling in love. It's his parent's problem that they can't see that. They are the ones blinded by a rivalry from 95 years ago."

"But ever since the night of the masquerade, you two have barely talked, let alone looked at me," Grantaire said.

Maxence spoke next, "That's because we were ashamed of the way that we've made you feel these last few years. We've been terrible people. Let alone terrible parents. All caught up in the rivalry like Alphonse and Marguerite until the last few months or so when we realized how fucking ridiculous it is and how we had lost how close we were to our son because of it. These last few weeks we've been wanting to talk to you, but we just didn't know what to say to you. The things that you said that night opened our eyes to how horrible we've truly been these last few years, and we're sorry, Nic."

"We want to make it up to you, and we knew that the best way to do that was by accepting that Julien is the man that you love. That he's who you want to be with. If you want to be with him, Nic, be with me. The only thing that matters to us is that you are happy," Elena explained.

Grantaire looked from his mother to his father and back again. His eyes flickered between them a few more times before he said, "You're being serious about this."

Elena nodded. "Yes, Nic, we are. We love you. We have always loved you. And we realized that it might take some time for you to forgive us and trust us again, but we will do whatever it takes to earn both of those things back."

"But we do have one request?" Maxence asked of his son.

Grantaire looked up at his father. "Okay."

"That you allow us to meet and get to know the man that had stolen our son's heart," Maxence said.

Grantaire smiled. "Of course. But that might not happen if his parents succeed in shipping him off to Connecticut. He's tried talking to them, but they won't listen to him or anyone else."

"Well, they definitely aren't going to listen to us, so do you know of anyone that might be able to talk some sense into them?" Maxence asked.

Grantaire wracked his brain until a lightbulb went off in head and he looked at his father. "You know, I think I just might."

***

After speaking with his parents about what he's been up to and how his interests have changed in the last couple years, Grantaire left their office to head up to his bedroom. Unable to wait to write the news about his parents in a letter, Grantaire took his phone out, looking for Adeline's number, wording it exactly like he would word a text to Enjolras because he knew that Adeline would see the message and take it right to Enjolras.

**_Grantaire (11:49 P.M.): Hey! I couldn't wait to tell you in a letter. I just wanted to let you know that my parents fully accept us being together. I just had like a three house conversation with them. I'll explain everything in person. Oh, and btw, they want to meet you. I love you so much, angel! 😘_ **

**_Adeline (11:53 P.M.): That's such great news. I'm so happy to hear that. However, I have bad news. As expected, I couldn't get my parents to budge. They are still planning to ship me to Connecticut on Saturday._ **

**_Grantaire (11:54 P.M.): I have a plan for that. You won't be going to Connecticut. We are going to spend the summer together, I promise._ **

***

On Friday night, Enjolras packed his bag on the off chance that whatever plan that Grantaire had in mind was going to fall through. He had hoped that it wouldn't, but his lover hadn't told him anything of his plan. Adeline and Mary had come in about to hug and tell him how sorry they were, but even they couldn't put him at ease. The only thing that would be Grantaire's arms around him tomorrow with the promise that he wasn't going anywhere until they left for London.

Enjolras stood outside the apartment with his parents' limousine, the clock ticking down to the time that they were supposed to leave for Connecticut. Javert stood off to the side with sunglasses over his eyes and he couldn't see his expression.

His parents came out of the building with a suitcase behind each of them. They had told him that they would be heading to Hawaii for some much needed stress relief after everything he had put them through the last few weeks. Enjolras had simply rolled his eyes.

They handed their suitcases off to the driver to put them in the trunk. Marguerite opened the door to slide in. Enjolras desperately looked down the street for any sign of Grantaire, but he didn't see him anywhere. The only thing he could think of was stalling. 

He was just about to say something when he heard the unmistakable sound of his lover's voice, calling, "Julien!"

He looked up to see Grantaire running toward him with Lamarque hot on his heels. He stepped away from the vehicle. His father was getting frustrated that Enjolras wasn't getting in, so he stepped out, but then his eyes caught sight of who was distracting Enjolras.

Alphonse grabbed Enjolras by the arm. "Don't even think about it. Get in the damn car."

Enjolras looked between the car and his lover. He pried his father's hand off of him before he started to run in Grantaire's direction. Enjolras saw Javert step in front of him, but he quickly sideswiped him to get away from him as he sprinted toward Grantaire.

Grantaire caught him right before he could tumblr into him. They wrapped their arms around each other as he started to whisper in his ear, "Lamarque will make them see sense. You're not going anywhere, okay? You're staying here. In New York. With me."

Enjolras nodded his head. He pulled away to press his forehead against Grantaire. He cupped his face. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Grantaire pulled him in for a deep and passionate kiss. Wrapping his arms around his waist.

Alphonse and Marguerite seethed as they watched their son kiss him. Lamarque made his way to them, watching as the kiss grew in the passion they shared for each other.

Then, he turned to face Enjolras's parents. He crossed his arms. "What are you doing? Did you really think that forbidding them from being together or trying to get Julien out of the city was going to be enough? They love each other, whether you like it or not. Everything that you did just makes the love and desire to be together that much stronger," he explained to them. "But other than that, look at them." He gestured to the two young men, who had their arms wrapped around each other, foreheads pressed together, and wide smiles on their faces. "That love. That undeniable love between them is pure and true." Just as he said that, Enjolras brought his hand to Grantiare's face, running his thumb over his cheekbone and mouth something that looked like "I love you". He turned back to his parents. "You don't have to like that he loves him, but that love is not going anywhere anytime soon. You might as well find a way to deal with it."

Alphonse and Marguerite look at each other before turning back to Lamarque. "Fine. You win. He can stay in New York with him and they can see each other, but we are still going to Hawaii. Please get his bag out from the trunk."

Lamarque nodded, but before he got the bag, he asked, "Does that mean that he gets his phone and laptop back? And I can put my schedule back the way it was?"

"Yes. Yes. Now, just hurry up. We have a plane to catch," Alphonse said, annoyed.

Lamarque moved to the back of the limo to get Enjolras's bag out from behind as Alphonse and Marguerite got back inside the limo and closed the door. He made sure to grab his laptop and phone too before closing the trunk.

The moment the trunk was closed, the car drove away from the curb. Lamarque smiled as he walked the trunk, laptop bag, and phone to Enjolras and Grantaire. They were watching him with wide smiles on their faces.

"You guys won. Julien gets to stay in New York, and he gets his phone and laptop back. And you two will be working together again." He handed Enjolras his things. "But be mindful that while I made them realize that your love for each other isn't going anywhere and they made the right choice to allow you to see each other, that is them understanding that they can't do anything about it. Doesn't mean that they like it anymore than they did before," Lamarque reminded them.

Enjolras and Grantaire nodded before Lamarque started to walk away from them.

"Come on, I promised that if it all worked out, I'd bring you over to meet my parents," Grantaire said. He pulled Enjolras in the direction of his house.

"Whoa, wait a second." Enjolras pulled him back. "Before we do that, can we have a few hours to ourselves. Let me gather my nerves before I meet your parents, which by the way, I met them at the masquerade ball."

"I know, but I want you to meet them as my boyfriend, not a gracious host. Please." Grantaire smiled, his eyes begging Enjolras to say yes. Knowing that he couldn't say no to the look on Grantaire's face, Enjolras agreed with a smile and a kiss. "Great. We can go up to your apartment and let Adeline and Mary know and get some lunch. We'll go back to my around dinner time," Grantaire said, taking Enjolras's suitcase and his hand as they made their way toward the entrance of the building.

Enjolras opened the door to the apartment where Adeline and Mary were waiting by the door. They saw Grantaire behind him and cheered.

"You knew about his plan?" Enjolras asked Adeline as she pulled him in for a hug.

"Who do you think told him what time the car was supposed to leave?" She answered, pulling out of the hug to give a hug to Grantaire.

Mary hugged Enjolras quickly. "I made a hopeful celebratory lunch of quesadillas and Mexican rice."

Mary and Adeline walked into the kitchen, but Enjolras and Grantaire stayed by the door. Grantaire kissed his nose.

"We did it," Grantaire replied.

Enjolras kissed his hand before kissing him.

"Julien Enjolras, stop kissing your boyfriend and come and get your lunch before it gets cold," Adeline reprimanded from the kitchen doorway.

Enjolras started laughing, pulling Grantaire into the kitchen with him.

***

Later that evening, Grantaire opened the door to his apartment. Enjolras followed him as he stepped inside.

"Mom, Dad!" He called into the room.

Elena came out from the door that led to the kitchen and Maxence came from down the hall. They saw Grantaire standing near the entrance until their eyes fell on the young man standing next to him with his hand laced with their son's.

Grantaire smiled at his parents. "Mom, Dad, this is Julien. Angel, this is my mom and dad, Elena and Maxence."

Enjolras smiled, shyly. "It's nice to meet you."

Elena walked up to him to shake his hand before kissing his cheek. "It's so nice to finally meet you as the man who has stolen my son's heart." Enjolras flushed at that.

Maxence shook his hand. "As my wife said, it's so nice to meet you as Nic's boyfriend, but I just have one question? Yankees or Mets?"

"Um…" Enjolras stumbled.

"Dad, you're embarrassing him," Grantaire said.

Hesitantly, Enjolras started to say, "Yankees."

"Good. You're on the superior side." Maxence grinned.

"No baseball talk," Elena commanded. "Just give me and Max a few moments to freshen up, then we can go have dinner at the diner down the street." Elena took her husband's hand as they disappeared down the hall to their bedroom.

Grantaire turned to Enjolras. "I'm so glad you said Yankees and not Mets. You would have been getting the stink eye from my father all evening if you had."

"Well, my parents are Mets fans, but I've always preferred the Yankees, so that was an easy answer," Enjolras said.

Grantaire gave him a quick kiss, leading him over to the bench that was near the door. He kissed the back of Enjolras's hand as they sat down.

"So, what kind of diner are your parents taking us too?" Enjolras asked.

"It's basically just a family diner. It has burgers, fries, and shakes. It's my parent's favorite place in the city," Grantaire replied.

"I'm surprised that they didn't try to take us to somewhere fancy," Enjolras said.

"I've told you. Jules. They have money, but they would rather put it towards charities for children with cancer or for the homeless. On the weekends, my parents spend all-day on Saturday and Sunday at the soup kitchen. They are basically the way you wish your parents were," Grantaire replied.

Enjolras didn't say anything because he heard his boyfriend's parents coming down the hallway.

The four of them left the apartment to head to the restaurant. As they walked, Enjolras hooked his arm with Grantaire's, resting his head on his shoulder. Grantaire rested his head against his. Grantaire's parents were walking about two feet ahead of them. Enjolras noticed Elena slip her hand into Maxence's and Maxence gave her a smile with his eyes filled with love. He couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face when he saw it.

"It's nice to see that your parents are still affectionate with each other," Enjolras said.

"What do you mean?" Grantaire asked.

"Your mother took your father's hand and he looked at her with love in his eyes. In the last few years, my parents have never looked at each other like that. I think they've fallen out of love, if they were ever in love to begin with, but to them staying together is easier than getting divorced. I'm pretty sure that my father has a mistress and my mom a mister since I've heard them argue about 'them' before." Enjolras shrugged.

Before Grantaire could reply, his parents were opening the door to the restaurant. They allowed Grantaire and Enjolras to enter first. Maxence told the hostess there would be four of them as Enjolras looked around the diner.

There was simple decor, just a few potted plants here and there. A long window that allowed you to see into the kitchen that had orders hangover it on a string and bell to signify when an order was up. Above this window was a blue neon sign that said, "You're family here." Different color neon lights hung over doors that lead the way to the bathrooms and exit.

Grantaire nudged Enjolras to follow his parents and the hostess to their table. The hostess sat down their menus on the table before telling them that their server would be right with them. Enjolras to slide into the booth first, Grantaire sat down next to him. Grantaire quickly convinced Enjolras to share a large chocolate milkshake with him before he could even glance at the drink menu.

Once their server, Madison, came to take their drink orders, Maxence turned his attention to Enjolras as he looked at the menu.

"So, tell us, Julien, how did you manage to steal my son's heart?" Maxence asked.

Enjolras looked up from the menu, a shy smile playing across his face. "Well, we first bonded over our shared love for _The Shadowhunter Chronicles_ series by Cassandra Clare. It kind of came as a shock to us that we both loved the series. After that we quickly became friends and well, with becoming friends, feelings started to grow and I guess, it just sort of happened."

Maxence and Elena continued to ask them questions regarding their relationship as they waited for their server to come back with their drinks and take their food orders. Under the table, Grantaire reached for Enjolras's hand and gave it a squeeze.

When their food arrived, the conversation turned to their future plans. Enjolras quickly glanced at Grantaire, who nodded discreetly.

"Um...about that," Grantaire started. "Do you remember how I said that I wasn't planning on going to college?" His parents nodded. "That's because I'm moving to London with Julien. That's where he'd going to college and I've always wanted to travel and now, I'm getting the chance to do just that with the man I love at my side."

"Are you sure you want to do that? London is so far from home," Elena replied.

"I know, but it's what I want to do. We already have found a flat that we really like. I've been searching for a job. We've applied for our visas. I know it's far from New York, but for me, home is where heart is and Julien is my heart," Grantaire said to his parents. "I know that this might not make you happy, but I need you to be okay with it because I'm doing it."

Elena looked at her son with sad eyes before looking at her husband. "Just promise us one thing." Grantaire nodded at his mother. "You'll Skype us once or twice a week."

"I promise." Grantaire squeezed her hand.

Enjolras leaned over to kiss his cheek.

***

After their dinner, Grantaire walked Enjolras back to his apartment building. They walked up to the door of his apartment where Grantaire pressed Enjolras against the wall, kissing him deeply. Enjolras felt his toes curl as his heart pounded now that he and Grantaire could kiss in public without having to worry about being spotted. Grantaire started kissing down his neck before bringing his mouth back up to Enjolras's.

Enjolras pulled his mouth away. "Can we press pause? Just for a moment."

"Why? I like kissing you."

"I know. I like kissing you, too. But we need to figure out what we are going to tell our friends now."

"I think all that needs to be said is that they either live with this or they were never truly our friends to begin with."

"We should probably get all of our friends together and tell them that. What do you think?"

"It's a good idea."

Enjolras kissed him again. "We can decide when we want to get the groups together tomorrow."

"Okay." Another quick kiss was shared. "I'm going to head home, but I'll text you when I get there. I love you."

"I love you, too. Until my last breath." Enjolras kissed him chastely. Grantaire took a few steps back and they kept their hands together until they couldn't touch anymore.

Grantaire turned toward the elevator while Enjolras waited to go inside until he couldn't see him anymore.

***

A few days later, Enjolras and Grantaire were sitting in a grassy area of Central Park waiting for their friends to join them. It was here that they planned on telling their friends about their plans to move to England.

Grantaire looked over the grassy area and saw Jehan arriving with Bahorel and Éponine. From where he was sitting, he could see that Jehan was keeping them from turning back. Enjolras noticed that his own friend group was making their way toward them and they were glaring at him. Grantaire reached for his hand and squeezed, telling him it was going to be fine. He kissed his temple.

Finally, all their friends had arrived, with both friend groups staying as far away from each other as possible, glaring at each other. The only one who wasn't doing anything was Jehan, who stood off to the side.

With a deep breath, Grantaire started talking, "So, as you all know, I'm dating this guy right here—" he pointed at Enjolras "—and well, our love isn't going to go away. This is real. It's been real for the last two years and four months."

"His parents have accepted this," Enjolras added. "And well, my parents will never be okay with it, but they've come to the realization that they can't keep us apart."

"So, that brings us to you guys." Grantaire's hand swept across the air toward the two groups of friends. "Two of you already knew." His eyes met Combeferre and Jehan's. "And we'd like to thank you for keeping this a secret. We realize that some of you are still having trouble with this, but the thing is. This is the way that it's going to be, so you're going to have to build a bridge and get over it."

"What we are asking of our beloved friends is to find common ground. Any kind of common ground. It's going to be difficult and well, you'll probably annoy the hell out of each other, we would like you to at least try," Enjolras said.

None of the friends moved a muscle until Jehan walked to the couple. He gave Enjolras a friendly, kind smile before wrapping him in a tight hug.

"You make my best friend happy, and that's all that matters to me," he whispered in Enjolras's ear. He ended the hug and turned to the other groups. "Find a common ground, you say. Well, what better way to do that then with a little getting to know you game. I'll start," he paused for a second before continuing. "My name is Jean Prouvaire, but I mostly go by Jehan. I'm genderfluid, so my pronouns are either they/them or he/him, depending on the day. Today, they are he/him. I'm pansexual and dating Bahorel. I'm an only child. I'm a Romantic with a capital R, but I'm also a hopeless romantic in the love department. Which is why it's so easy for me to accept that these two are in love." He gestured to the couple. "Um...I love fashion despite dressing like this." Jehan was wearing a clash of purple pants with flowers all over them and a mustard yellow shirt. He was wearing red Converse with white polka dots on them. His long red hair was in a side braid with flowers placed intricately in it and he was wearing a flower crown on his head. "But I'm always more than willing to keep others from finding the fashion that works for them since I know all the latest styles. My first love, however, is poetry and flowers. Chances are if you see me with a notebook or any piece of paper in my hand, I'm working on poetry. And I work in a flower shop and I've spent a long time learning the meanings of flowers. But that's just the start of me. Who wants to go next?"

The couple and Jehan looked around the two groups, waiting to see who it would be. It was Combeferre. Combeferre stood up to give a little background of his life, and then slowly, the rest of the friends started to open up to each other. As the day went on, both groups started to laugh and play games as if they had been friends for years.

After they had a picnic, Enjolras and Grantaire sat off to the side against a tree. Enjolras sat in between Grantaire's legs with his arms wrapped around him. Their hands tangled together.

"I'm glad that our friends are coming around," Enjolras said.

"Me too. They just needed a little push," Grantaire replied before kissing his temple.

Enjolras closed his eyes and burrowed deeper into Grantaire's arms. "I love you."

"I know."

***

Three days after Enjolras's parents returned from Hawaii, Enjolras told them that Grantaire's parents had requested that the seven (Adeline included) all sit down to a dinner. The reasoning behind it was that if their sons were in love, the least the parents could do was try and put their petty feud to rest. Enjolras's parents reluctantly agreed.

That Saturday night, Enjolras was in the dining room, making sure everything was perfect. He had been helping with the food before Mary kicked him out of the kitchen in order to get ready. Their guests were due to arrive at 7 P.M., and it was already 6:45 P.M. His parents were in their office and Adeline was sitting in the living room.

Right on the dote of 7, the doorbell rang and Adeline and his parents joined him at the front door. Enjolras glared at his parents to play nice before turning the doorknob.

"Hello," Enjolras said with a smile.

"Hey, you." Granaire greeted him with a quick kiss before being welcomed inside the apartment with his parents.

"Mother, Father, you know Nicolas, Maxence, and Elena Grantaire," Enjolras introduced them to his parents.

Forcing the words out as hands were shook, Alphonse said, "Welcome to our home."

"Yes. We're so glad that you could make it." Marguerite's smile was fake and small.

Enjolras rolled his eyes as he turned to Grantaire's parents and said, "And of course, you know my father, Alphonse, my mother, Marguerite, and my grandmother, Adeline."

"We're pleased to have been invited," Elena replied.

Wanting desperately to try and decrease the tension in the room, Adeline spoke up, "Shall we move into the living room? Dinner isn't quite ready. It should only be about five minutes."

She gestured for Enjolras to lead Grantaire, Elena, and Maxence into the living room. Adeline turned to her son and daughter-in-law, hissing under her breath, "Don't ruin this for them or you'll have me to deal with after."

Adeline turned around to join their guests and her grandson in the living room, Alphonse and Marguerite following after her.

"So, Maxence, tell me how is your charity doing? I've heard wonderful things about it," Adeline said as she sat down.

Maxence smiled. "Call me Max, please." Adeline quickly agreed before Maxence continued, "It's great. I had a meeting this afternoon about the games and grill out event that is happening in Central Park next Saturday. I'm very excited about it."

The Grantaire charity was for children that were sickly and their parents struggled to pay the medical expenses. Maxence had been inspired to create the charity after his youngest sister died of children's leukemia when she was seven-years-old. While the money aspect for medical bills was never something that his parents had struggled with due to the Grantaire fortune, he had seen how important it was for his family to spend every minute they could with his sister, and he wanted to make sure that other families could do the same and not have to worry about how they would pay for the expenses.

"Julien has actually been helping me and Elena plan the event. He's agreed to help us serve lunch and help Nicolas with hosting games and such. You should be really proud of him," Maxence said.

Enjolras blushed slightly as Grantaire squeezed his hand.

Adeline smiled at him. "Oh, I'm very proud. Has he told you of his plans to become a lawyer that works pro bono?"

"He has, and I think it's quite commendable," Maxence said.

Alphonse and Marguerite didn't participate in the conversation as they waited for Mary to call them to the dining table, which she did right when the five minutes were up.

The seven of them sat down around the table. Mary started to bring the food out, explaining what dinner was. The entrée was fillet mignon with a mushroom gravy with whipped mashed potatoes and French style green beans. Their beginner was New England clam chowder and their dessert was a peach cobbler.

As they dished their soup, the conversation was stilted and awkward. The couple did their best to keep the conversation going between the parents. When their soup was gone, it was time for the entrée. Mary brought out their plates and waited until it was time for dessert to be brought out.

After chewing a piece of meat, halfway through the meal, Maxence looked at Enjolras and said, "So, about your pro bono work, are you planning on opening up your own firm or do you plan on working with someone before that?"

"Opening up my own firm is the long-term plan. Right now, I plan on just working with someone once I get my law degree," Enjolras said.

Alphonse snorted. "And will you be doing that in London or here? You are the heir to all of this, Julien. Of course, the line dies with you because of this." He absentmindedly gestured to Enjolras and Grantaire. Adeline glared at her son, kicking him under the table. He returned her glare.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maxence asked. "Just because our sons are dating does not mean that your line ends with Julien. There's adoption. Surrogacy. There are ways for them to have children."

"Except both of those can get extremely messy," Alphonse countered. "Besides, it's not like first love relationships ever actually work out, so there's still a chance that the line won't end with him."

Hearing the implications of homophobia made it impossible for Elena to bite her tongue. "Do you really hate this that much that you can't see past the end of your nose to see that the love Nic and Jules share is forever? You can see it clearly in both their faces. Hell, the moment I saw it, I realized that I was going to have to get the family ring redesigned so that it would fit on a man's finger."

At that, Grantaire's and Enjolras's faces went bright red. Sure, they had talked about wanting to get married, but it was something that they wanted years down the line.

"Oh, I can see it already. The Enjolras-Grantaire wedding will be the event of the century!" Adeline gushed.

"Okay. I'm going to pause this conversation right there," Grantaire spoke up. "He and I are barely out of high school, so please don't start planning our wedding before the two of us actually decide that it's something that we want for sure. But that being said, I do like the idea of the family ring being on my angel's finger." He leaned over to kiss Enjolras's temple.

"Oh, for the love of God." Alphonse sighed. "No son of mine will be marrying into _your_ family."

Maxence glared at him. "Well, you can't really stop it if it's something they want now, can you?"

"I can certainly try. I will not give my blessing for my son to marry into the family that stole something from my family," Alphonse said.

Around the table five pairs of eyes rolled. Seeing the movement caused Alphonse to see red and start ranting even louder, which in turn caused a full blown argument to erupt between Alphonse and Maxence.

Elena tried to get Maxence to stop by placing a hand on his arm, squeezing it, but the movement went unnoticed by him because he couldn't believe that Alphosne would be so fucking obtuse. On the other end of the table, Adeline tried to control Alphonse, but it was to no avail.

Eventually, Enjolras had enough and screamed, loud enough to stop the argument, **_"ENOUGH!"_ **He felt Grantaire run a hand down his arm, but it quickly fell away as he stood up, glaring at his parents. "One night. One night of you being civil that's all we asked for, and you couldn't even give us that."

He walked away from the table, going into the living room, and out onto the balcony. Glaring at his own father, Grantaire stood up and followed after his boyfriend.

Maxence's eyes fell on Elena, who looked disappointed in her husband. He squeezed her hand. "I'll apologize to both of them the moment they come back."

"It might not do any good, but you can try," Elena replied.

At the Enjolras end, Adeline glared at her son and hissed, "You just couldn't help it, could you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alphonse said. "He—"

"Oh, don't play that card with me. _You_ were the one that started this. They've been perfectly polite the whole time they've been here. Trying to abide by Nicolas and Julien's one wish. Civility. But you just couldn't stop yourself," Adeline said.

As expected, though, Alphonse didn't even show the slightest amount of guilt or remorse.

Grantaire went after Enjolras and found him on the balcony. He could hear sniffles coming from his boyfriend. He sighed, sadly, as he wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Angel, I'm sorry." Grantaire kissed the back of his neck.

"Civility. That's all we asked for. How hard is that?"

"I know, my love, I know." Grantaire tightened his grip just a little. "If it helps when I left, my father looked guilty and disappointed in himself."

Enjolras scoffed. "It's not your father I blame. It was mine that baited him into it."

"My father didn't have to raise his voice to match," Grantaire said.

Enjolras turned in his arms. "I thought this was supposed to be them calling a truce. I know we've avoided the comparison, but it took Romeo and Juliet dying to get their parents to end their feud. Will we have to do the same?"

"No." Grantaire kissed his forehead. "My parents want to call a truce because they're tired of this. You've talked about this with them. But Alphonse is so stuck in the past that he can't see past that."

"I know." Enjolras wrapped his arms around Grantaire's neck, pressing their foreheads together. "But, and again I know we've avoided talking about this, I just couldn't help thinking about it after it was mentioned." He paused for a second. "I do want to marry you someday. Usually, my stance on marriage is that it's just a piece of paper, but I do quite like the idea of you being my husband."

Grantaire smiled, brightly. "Good. I do, too."

Enjolras kissed him deeply before pulling away. "We should get back in there."

Grantaire nodded, taking his hand and leading him back to the dining room.

As they sat down, Maxence spoke up, "Jules, Nic, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"It's alright, Dad," Grantaire said.

Enjolras assed him with a smile and a nod.

The rest of the entrée was eaten in silence, then Mary brought out the peach cobbler. Elena took her first bite and couldn't stop gushing about it, going as far to ask Mary for the recipe.

Mary smiled, kindly. "I'd be happy to give it to you."

A few more minutes of silence were had as the peach cobbler was eaten, Elena was the next to speak up, "So, Jules, we were previously talking about London, when are you moving there exactly?"

Enjolras looked at Grantaire, who nodded. "Well, the school year starts in mid to late September, but we'll probably move sometime in August, so we have some time to settle in before things get too crazy." Realizing too late that he used "we" instead of "I".

"Wait, 'we'? What the hell do you mean by 'we'?" Marguerite asked.

Enjolras reached for Grantaire's hand. "When I move to London for college, I'm moving with Nic. This was planned for months because we thought it was the best way for us to be together in public."

"You're doing what?" Marguerite asked.

"Mother, you heard me. I'm not saying it again," Enjolras replied.

His parents were stunned into silence for a few minutes until his father spoke up, "You're really doing this?"

"I am, and there's nothing you can do to change my mind," Enjolras said.

Alphonse sighed. "Of course not because you're going to do it anyway with no care about how it will reflect on us."

Enjolras rolled his eyes. "Alright, Father, tell me how you really feel." Alphonse didn't say anything. "Come on, don't hold back."

"Fine, but you asked for it," Alphonse said. He started to tell Enjolras all the things that he had chosen for his life that disappointed him. Starting with him getting a job, then going all the way to falling in love with Grantaire. "I will never accept any of this. You're ruining our name, Julien."

"Well, maybe that's a good thing. Maybe you'll see that you're stuck living in the past," Enjolras retorted.

Alphonse started down his son with cold, hard eyes. "If you're going to be like that, maybe this will make you see sense. If you do this, I will disown you. You can say goodbye to your inheritance. Your trust fund. All of it."

Enjolras took a second look at Grantaire, Adeline, Maxence and Elena, before turning back to Grantaire. He turned to his father. "Well, I guess I am disowned because _I am_ doing this. Nic is my boyfriend and he will be for a long time, and maybe one day, my husband. And like him, I will choose him over family every single time. So, disown me. I don't care." Enjolras set his fork down and stood up. "I'm going to go pack a bag since I will clearly not be staying here tonight."

"You can stay with us," Elena offered.

"Thank you, Elena." Enjolras walked away from the table, Grantaire following him to help him pack.

Enjolras walked into his bedroom and up to his closet to grab his bag. He set the bag on his bed and started to throw clothes inside. Angel hopped on the bed, meowing. Grantaire started to pet her.

"Um...do you think your parents would be okay with me taking her? I'm not leaving her here."

"I'll go ask." Grantaire kissed the cat's head, leaving the room again. He saw his parents standing near the door with Adeline. "Mom, Dad, Jules has a cat and he was wondering—"

"Of course," Maxence said.

"I'll go get her food and litter then," Adeline said.

Grantaire went back upstairs to Enjolras, telling him that his parents agreed to him having Angel with.

After 20 minutes, Enjolras was zipping up his duffle bag and grabbing Angel's cat carrier. He also grabbed his laptop, phone charger, and _Lady Midnight._ He had also packed the blanket that Grantaire had given him. Grantaire took Angel's carrier and they left the room.

Walking downstairs, Maxence took Enjolras's belongings to the car, which already had the little and food for Angel in the trunk.

Adeline smiled sadly at her grandson. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'll be okay," Enjolras said. "I'll be back one day when my parents aren't home for the rest of my things."

"Okay," Adeline said.

"I should be going. Give Mary a hug and kiss for me." A tear fell from Enjolras's eye as he hugged her.

"I will."

He pulled away from the hug. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Adeline said.

Enjolras walked out the door with Grantaire taking his hand after he said goodbye to Adeline. His boyfriend's grandmother whispering in his ear to take care of her boy.

Driving to Grantaire's building, Enjolras buried his head in Grantaire's shoulder as he cried. Arriving home, Maxence and Elena told Grantaire to get Enjolras inside while they grabbed his things. Grantaire carried Enjolras up to his bedroom. Maxence and Elena came a few minutes later with Enjolras's bag and Angel. Grantaire set his boyfriend down on the bed, then got Angel out of the carrier to hand her to Enjolras, knowing he'd want his cat for comfort. Grantaire laid down next to him, wrapping his arms around his waist.

Neither of them needed to say anything because just being in each other's arms was enough.

***

_August 2016_

The next Saturday, Enjolras helped Grantaire and his parents at their event for sick children and their families. The Monday after that, Enjolras's parents were once again gone, so he went with Grantaire and his parents to get the rest of his belongings from his parents' place. Maxence had graciously offered for him to keep his furniture in the Grantaire storage space for the time being.

In a short few weeks, Enjolras and Grantaire would be in London. It had been decided that Enjolras would go first in order to sign the lease of the flat and begin to settle in. Grantaire would follow a week later with his parents. Maxence and Elena had been insistent that they come with to help them move in, as well as help them purchase furniture, if the need arose. Their will-be landlord was flexible in whether the flat was furnished or unfurnished. They were going to see what the furniture was like before deciding if they wanted to purchase new or not. If furniture wasn't needed, Maxence and Elena would be helping with appliances.

For the most part, they were moving to London with nothing, but suitcases full of clothes, personal belongings, including both of their collections of _The Shadowhunter Chronicles,_ Angel, and a few other mementoes and things that they wanted to bring with them.

Finally, it was the Friday morning that Enjolras would be leaving New York. Grantaire's parents had offered to take him to the airport to say their goodbye there while he said goodbye to his friends and Mary at their apartment. Arriving at the airport, the first thing Enjolras did was make sure that his flight was still leaving on time, which it was. Then, he checked his bags (he was able to keep Angel with him in the cabin) before saying goodbye to Adeline, who was tearful and emotional. He assured her that he and Grantaire would Skype her twice a week right after Maxence and Elena, as well as telling her that he would be fine.

Adeline held him tight for a good five minute before Enjolras told her that she had to let go or else he'd miss his flight. Maxence Elena had a quick goodbye since he'd be seeing them in a week. He moved right to Grantaire.

Grantaire cupped his face. "It's only a week, right? We can do this."

"We can do this. These next seven days will fly by and before we know it, you'll be there with me," Enjolras replied. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Until my dying day." Grantaire kissed him quickly.

"I'll call you as soon as I can once I land." Enjolras assured him with another quick kiss.

He hugged Adeline again and kissed Grantaire quickly before walking toward the security line without looking back at his boyfriend or his family because if he did he knew that he would never leave.

Once on the plane, he made sure that Angel was secure and put on his seatbelt before pulling out his book.

He and Grantaire had finished their buddy re-read of the Shadowhunter series and they wouldn't be doing another until the new year right before _Lord of Shadows,_ the second book in _The Dark Artifices_ series, was released. So, in the interim period, he wanted to read books that he had never read or ones that were in need of a re-read.

The first series on that list was Percy Jackson. Grantaire had convinced him to read it by saying that it was his favorite series as a child. He had given Enjolras his much loved hardcover copies of _The Lightning Thief_ and _The Sea of Monsters_ to read on the plane. It was a long flight, and he figured that he could potentially get through the first book and maybe the second, depending on if he decided to sleep.

It was an overnight flight. The plane left New York at 7:30 P.M. and was scheduled to arrive in London at 7:35 A.M. the next morning, 2:35 A.M. New York time. It was early in the morning, but he knew that Grantaire would be waiting for his call the moment he knew that Enjolras arrived safely, something he would know by tracking the flight the whole time he's in the air.

***

The plane touched down at Heathrow. Enjolras put his book in his bag, grabbed Angel's carrier, and made his way off the plane. Once in the airport, he heard Angel start meowing.

He sat down, placing the carrier in his lap. "Just a little longer, little girl, I promise." 

Enjolras got her treats out of his bag and stuck his finger through the grate to give her one before getting his luggage and going through customs.

Finally, he was walking out of the airport, hailing a cab and telling the driver where to go. The cab driver pulled up outside the flat building, and helped Enjolras get his bags from the trunk. The doorman of the building introduced himself as Dean. He asked him his name as he helped him get his bags inside the building.

"Julien Enjolras," he replied.

"Oh, the landlord has been expecting you," Dean said. "You can go to his office. It's down the hall, first door on the left. I'll be here, watching your things." He held out his hand for the cat carrier.

"I'd prefer keeping her with me, if that's okay?" Enjolras questioned.

"Of course." Dean smiled, kindly.

Enjolras followed his directions to the landlord's office. He knocked on the door. The voice on the other side called for him to come in.

"Hello, sir. I'm Julien Enjolras," Enjolras introduced himself as he stepped inside.

"Oh, yes. My newest resident. My name is Evan, and I'm the landlord." They shook hands. "Now, is your boyfriend with you?"

"No," Enjolras said. "He'll be coming in a week. We decided that I'd come a little earlier than him to get something's settled and he could finish up a few things back in New York."

"Alright. The flat is ready for you. Did you decide whether you wanted it furnished or unfurnished?" Evan asked.

"Um...for now, we're going to leave it furnished, but if we decide we would like different furniture, we'll get some when my boyfriend comes with his parents next week," Enjolras explained.

Evan nodded. "Sounds good. Just let me know so I can take the furniture." He looked at the paperwork. "Now, you also have a cat, is that right?"

"Yes." Enjolras held up his cat carrier. "This is my Himalayan cat, Angel. She's a fairly mellow cat."

"Alright. I allow pets in the flat, but for an extra fee of £15 on top of the £2,340 pcm. The total rent is £2,355," Evan said.

"That's fine," Enjolras said.

Evan went over a few more things like the rules before allowing Enjolras to sign the lease. He reminded him that when Grantaire arrived, he would need to sign the lease as well. He told him that the rent was due on the first of each month, but he was willing to accept until the 5th. Before leaving the office, Enjolras paid the first and second month's rent and security deposit. He gave Enjolras the key, then stood up to lead him and Dean to the flat.

The flat was on the 19th floor (19E) of the building. It allowed you to see the London skyline from the floor to ceiling window in the living room. 

When you first walked into the flat, there was a small entrance hall with a closet door. To the left of the flat was the kitchen, and then when you walked further in there was a large living room with French door that led to the hallway that held the bedroom at the end of the hallway with the bathroom on one side and another storage closet on the other.

"Is it alright?" Evan asked.

Enjolras smiled since he was already imagining what life would be like when his boyfriend arrived. "It's perfect."

"Then, I'll leave you to begin getting settled," Evan replied before leaving.

Enjolras set his bag and suitcase down before getting Angel out from her cat carrier. "I'm going to go shopping for cat food and get you some litter before I start moving in."

Enjolras left the flat to go down to the corner store that he had seen during the cab ride. He planned that when he came back, he would connect his phone to the Wi-Fi in order to WhatsApp message Grantaire that he had arrived safely and was in their new flat. After that, he would put some things away before going to find a UK Apple store for their help in making sure that his phone would be compatible with a UK SIM card. He had gone to his Verizon store to have them unlock his phone before he left.

He got back from getting the kitty litter and food, putting the box in the bathroom while the cat food was placed in the kitchen. Giving himself a minute to sit down on the rather comfortable couch, Enjolras connected his phone to Wi-Fi and found Grantaire's name.

**_Enjolras (10:45 A.M.): Hey, love! I'm in London. In our flat. Sitting on the rather comfortable couch. I just got back from getting Angel food and litter. I'm going to unpack some of my things before heading out to find some lunch. I'm trying to stay active, so I don't fall asleep from jet lag and I don't sit around thinking about how much I miss you already. I love you! ❤😘_ **

Standing up again to grab his suitcases. The rest of his things would come with Grantaire and his parents. He only packed what he deemed absolutely necessary. He started to put his clothes in the dresser and closet (both of which were really spacious). As he hung up a shirt, he heard his phone buzz from the bedside table.

**_My Love 💘(10:58 A.M.): I'm so happy to hear that. I'm going to get some sleep now. I'll make sure to message you when I'm up before I video call you, so you can show me our flat and maybe engage in something a little spicy. 😉😉😉 I missed you the moment you left my arms, but we can do this. Just keep the mantra going of: "It's only a week, it's only a week". I love you, too. Goodnight (well, for me anyway). ❤_ **

***

In the week that he waited for his boyfriend to join him, Enjolras went grocery shopping (from the list that Grantaire had sent him), finished unpacking what he could, and he'd gone to the school to start familiarizing himself with the walk from the flat to the university. He wouldn't be meeting with the dean and his advisor until two weeks after Grantaire came to London.

So far, Enjolras was satisfied with the furniture in the flat and the flat, in general. He was still working out how to run the coffee machine and the stove knobs, but he was slowly getting the hang of it. Whenever he went out, he made sure to use the English term for something rather than the American term.

And after a long week, the day that Grantaire and his parents would be arriving in London finally arrived. Enjolras was anxious because all he wanted was to hold his boyfriend after a week apart. They had already proven that they don't do separation well.

Grantaire had convinced him not to come to the airport since they weren't sure how long it was going to take to get all their boxes and packages off the plane. Instead, he would text him when they arrived at the building for him to come down and take him to the landlord to sign the lease. And two hours after their flight landed at Heathrow, Granaire was texting him that they were downstairs. Enjolras quickly ran out the door to the elevator.

Running out of the building, Enjolras crashed into him with just enough time for Grantaire to catch him as he wrapped his legs around his waist. Enjolras brought their mouths together in a deep kiss before pulling away.

"I love you so much."

Grantaire gave Enjolras another kiss before setting him down. "We can continue that later. Right now, take me to the landlord."

With Grantaire's signature fresh on the lease and the key in his pocket, they went back outside to help his parents carry things up the flat. Once everything was brought up, Grantaire assured his parents that they would see them tomorrow, but they needed to go to their hotel. He needed some alone time with his boyfriend for a little while.

The moment his parents had said their goodbyes and the door was closed, Grantaire's mouth was on Enjolras's. "I need to have you. Right here. Right now," he whispered against his boyfriend's lips. Grantaire grabbed the hem of Enjolras's shirt, pulling it over his head. His own following seconds after. 

Grantaire backed them up into the living room. He wouldn't make it to their bedroom, he grabbed the blanket that he had given Enjolras, throwing it down on the floor. Keeping his arms around Enjolras, he laid them down on the blanket. Enjolras wrapped his legs around his waist, purposely letting Grantaire feel how hard he was becoming through his jeans. 

Grantaire moaned from where his mouth was attached to Enjolras's neck. "You're going to be the death of me."

Enjolras pulled away from Grantaire, pushing him down onto the blanket. He crawled over to the couch to grab the bottle of lube that he had stashed there earlier that morning knowing that the moment they were alone, they'd be having sex. Enjolras straddled his lap. His fingers caressed down his sides and his boyfriend shivered against him. Enjolras brought his mouth to Grantaire's collarbone, raking his teeth across the skin and bone. It was one of Grantaire's weak spots, and he adored the feeling of him melting under his fingers when he kissed him there.

"You really are a menace, and I love you for it." Grantaire groaned.

Enjolras attached his mouth to his neck and started sucking. He could feel Grantaire's erection through their jeans. He pulled away from his neck, bringing his mouth down to his collarbone, then up to his mouth for an open-mouthed kiss. Their tongues slid against each other, tasting the other's mouth. Enjolras's fingers started to move south towards his belt. He cupped his hand over Grantaire's cock and squeezed.

"Do you want me to ride you or would you like me to fuck you?" Enjolras asked, adding just a bit more pressure.

Grantaire's hand caressed Enjolras's back. "Ride me. God, it's been forever since you rode me."

"Alright then, but first…" Enjolras shimmied off of Grantaire's lap. He took off their shoes, then sat in between Grantaire's legs. He pulled his jeans off his legs, throwing them to the side. Placing his mouth over his clothed cock, letting his teeth scrape against the material. His tongue licked across the shaft. Underneath him, he could feel Grantaire wiggling, desperate for more. Enjolras hooked his fingers underneath the band of Grantaire's briefs, pulling them off.

He placed his mouth after the tip, his tongue swiping across it. Then, inch by inch, he took more into his mouth until he reached the base. Enjolras looked up at Grantaire through his lashes, whose eyes were closed with a look of ecstasy on his face. Enjolras bobbed his head, pulling off, then sucking back down. He continued with that motion over and over again. His tongue slid across and around the shaft, not being able to get enough of the leathery skin.

Grantaire let out a hot, salacious moan. Placing his hand on Enjolras's head, guiding his lover's mouth over his cock. Wanting him to take more of it inside. He reveled in the way Enjolras's warm, wet, velvety tongue moved across his cock. 

"Jules...more...please," Grantaire begged.

Enjolras started to bob his head faster, sucking a little harder. He brought his mouth to the tip, sucking and swiping his tongue over it. Grantaire's hips bucked forward when his mouth slid back down. He pinned them back down to the blanket.

Feeling Grantaire started to come apart beneath him, his lover's moans and sighs were needy and broken up.. His grip on the blanket was tight as his knuckles turned white. Enjolras brought his mouth up to the tip once again as his hand wrapped around the shaft and started to stroke. His lover moaned sharply.

"I can feel it…Jules...ohh…" he sighed.

Enjolras moved his hand faster until cum was dripping from Grantaire's cock and into his mouth with some dribbling down his chin. He swallowed every drop and kissed the tip — something he did often because he loved Grantaire's cock very much — before slithering back up his boyfriend's body.

Grantaire cupped the back of his neck, his tongue moved across Enjolras's chin to wipe the dribbles of his cum. He gave his boyfriend a kiss that was all tongue and teeth. His hand glided across Enjolras's smooth back, squeezing his ass, then went along his waist to the buckle and undid it. Grantaire pushed Enjolras's jeans and boxers to his ankles, then his boyfriend removed them fully.

"What do you want, love?" Grantaire asked, kissing his forehead. "Do you want me to open you up or would you like to do it?"

"You."

Grantaire searched the blanket for the bottle of lube. When he found it, he uncapped it, squeezed some over his fingers. He pressed his fingers against his lover's entrance, circling the muscle. He felt Enjolras shiver slightly above him. Grantaire worked his fingers in. He always admired the way that Enjolras's warmth wrapped around his fingers.

Enjolras's hand grasped his shoulders, eyes closed, as he moved his finger around. Sliding in, then back out. Grantaire watched Enjolras's face as he started to move slightly to get Grantaire's finger deeper. Feeling that, Grantaire added a second finger alongside the first, stretching Enjolras a little more. Scissoring his fingers as he propelled them faster.

"Fuck! Your fingers!" Enjolras exclaimed.

Grantaire smiled, shifting the angle of his fingers slightly. His boyfriend let out a sharp, surprised gasp. He glared down at Grantaire before mashing their mouths together in another soaring kiss.

With his boyfriend slightly distracted, Grantaire added a third finger. Using his fingers to massage Enjolras's prostate. As he did that, he brought his free arm down Enjolras's chest until he reached his hard and throbbing cock. He wrapped his hand around it and started to stroke.

Enjolras let a delightful moan. Then, pulled away from the kiss. "You're cruel, you know that?"

"I do, but you love me anyway." Grantaire tightened his grip on his cock, stroking him faster as his fingers continued to work in and out.

Enjolras's nail dug into Grantaire's chest, biting his bottom lip. Desperately not to cum yet, he reached for the hand buried inside him, pulling his lover's fingers out.

"I'm open enough, I think," Enjolras said. "I don't want your fingers. I want you thick, long, beautiful cock inside me." He removed Grantaire's hand from his own. Without having to be told, Grantaire placed his hands behind his head, smirking. "Good. You remembered." He gave Grantaire a tantalizing kiss. "Now, be a good boy. You can't touch me until I ask you too."

"I know."

Enjolras gave him another quick kiss. He sat back, reaching behind him to place Grantaire's cock at his entrance. Carefully and gently, he slid down, letting it fill him. Enjolras closed his eyes. He rolled his hips forward to adjust the angle a little until he was fully seated. Grantaire kept his hands behind his head as he watched his lover work his body.

To begin all Enjolras did was roll his hips back and forth, savoring the feel of Grantaire's cock inside him. He closed his eyes and his hands braced Grantaire's hips. Leisurely, Enjolras started to move his hips a little more. Slightly, pulling off, then sinking back down. He bit his lip to keep the moans as he concentrated on pleasuring, not only himself, but Grantaire as well.

His stormy, lustful blue eyes met Grantaire's desire-filled green ones. Enjolras watched as Grantaire leaned up on his forearms, still keeping his hands to himself. His boyfriend clearly wanted to get a better look at his movements. Enjolras smirked at his lover.

"Do you like what you see?" Enjolras asked.

"Very much," Grantaire replied. "You look stunning as you ride my cock. However, I think you'd be even more beautiful if you moved faster."

Complying with his request, Enjolras paused for a moment before starting to move faster, his cock going deeper. Grantaire let out a groan. He couldn't keep his eyes off Enjolras. The way his curls bounced and started to stick to his forehead. The beautiful curve of his neck as it fell back, so he could look at the ceiling. Sweat glistening over his body. His red, angry cock that was leaking pre-cum that left a small patch of wetness on Enjolras's cock as it bobbed with his movements. Grantaire ached to touch him, but he hadn't received permission yet.

"You feel so wonderful, Nic." Enjolras moaned.

"So do you," Grantaire commented. "But do you think I could touch you yet?"

Enjolras reached for Grantaire's hands, placing them on his chest. They wondered over his stomach, up to his chest, running over his nipples. Enjolras shivered as Grantaire started to toy with one.

Being struck with an idea of wanting to make his lover scream, Grantaire sat up. Enjolras let out a piercing gasp of surprise. The angle of his cock changed, going almost deep enough to reach his prostate. Enjolras returned to simply rolling his hips, back and forth. Grantaire wrapped one arm around Enjolras's waist, the other tangled in his hair as he met Enjolras's mouth in a warm, wet, open-mouthed kiss.

Enjolras completely stopped moving as the kiss overtook his senses. It was in this kiss, in the way his tongue explored Grantaire's mouth, and their teeth clacked together that he discovered just how much he truly missed Grantaire the last week. 

The month they spent apart, thanks to his parents, was nothing compared to how absolutely unbearable being 3,459 miles away from the person you loved most was. At least, during that month, they were in the same city. This time, an entire ocean separated them. Not ever wanting to be parted like that again, Enjolras wrapped his arms tighter around Grantaire.

Grantaire pulled away, placing his hand under Enjolras's chin. "I love you. Never forget that."

Enjolras gave him a quick peck. "Never."

Grantaire's smile dazzled as he brought his mouth back to Enjolras's. His hands went to Enjolras's ass, coming into contact with his cock which was still buried deep inside him. He pitched his hips forward, and his boyfriend screamed out loud. Enjolras started to roll his hips again as Grantaire leaned back slightly on one hand, while the other clutched Enjolras's hip. He timed his movements perfectly with his lover's. Thrusting his hips up when Enjolras rolled forward, and down when he moved back.

His boyfriend placed his hands on his shoulders, his nails creating small crescent moons in his skin. Sweat was dripping from their bodies. An endless stream of moans and sighs escaped from Enjolras. His eyes were closed, head tilted to the side, and Grantaire couldn't resist, he leaned back to suck a bruise to the spot right where neck meets shoulder. One of Enjolras's many weak spots.

" _Nic!_ " Enjolras let out a cry as pleasure radiated through him. "Oh fuck!"

Grantaire started to bring his mouth down to his collarbone, mouthing at the skin and licking the salt off. His mouth reached a nipple. He flicked his tongue over it, then swirled it around, playing with the nipple until it was taut. Then, he took the other into his mouth, nipping and sucking. Feeling Enjolras tremble in his arms, he did the same to the other.

He pulled away to see that his boyfriend was slowly falling apart. Grantaire leaned back again to start moving his hips again, his grip on Enjolras's hip was almost painfully tight. He was sure it would leave bruises. 

"Are you liking this, lover? Is this pleasurable?" Grantaire asked.

All Enjolras could get out was a hoarse, "Yes."

"Wonderful. Do you want me to fuck you harder?"

Another hoarse, "Yes."

"Terrific because I'm about to fuck you to do hard, you won't be able to move."

Enjolras let out a whimper mixed with a moan, and that was all the permission Grantaire needed. He started to move his hips fast and hard, fucking up into Enjolras. His boyfriend did his best to move with him, but his thighs were burning. Enjolras didn't ask to change positions, though, because he was determined to come by riding his lover.

And with sweat drifting from the bodies, the blanket tangled up around them, and London growing darker outside, they continued with the throes of heart-stopping sex. Moans, groans, whimpers, sighs, and whispers of their names was all that could be heard within the room.

After a few more minutes of movement, Grantaire started to feel the signs that Enjolras's orgasm was upon him. He thrusted up harder, faster, and deeper, hell-bent in making him come first. Enjolras was starting to slump forward, he was losing his strength and stamina. It would be back within a half hour, Grantaire knew, so they would be going again soon.

"Nic...Nic...please. I'm going to come. I can feel it. Oh, please, let me." Enjolras wrapped a hand around his own cock, stroking almost in time with Grantaire's thrusts.

"You can come anytime you want, baby. I'll be right here," Grantaire said, captivated by watching Enjolras stroke himself.

Enjolras started to breathe heavier, his legs were shaking, his mouth couldn't form words, and within seconds, cum was pouring from his cock. Dripping down his hand, landing on Grantaire's chest and his own. Grantaire always loved watching Enjolras's face when he came. It was like the perfect mix of pleasure and love, his mouth forming a perfect 'O' shape, and his eyes were closed.

As he tumbled over the edge, he slumped against Grantaire a little more. His hand came up to rest over his heart. He mouthed at his shoulder. Grantaire's thrusts became steady, even paces, not wanting to overstimulate his boyfriend.

It took about a minute and a half to get Grantaire to his orgasm building. Enjolras felt the tension in Grantaire's muscles start to form. He nestled closer into Grantaire, his fingertips gliding across his skin.

Enjolras lifted his head up from where it was resting on his shoulder to whisper, "Come inside me. Fill me to the brim with your cum. I want to feel you inside me for days."

And with a soft grunt, Grantaire's cum started to fill Enjolras. Enjolras sighed, enjoying the feeling of Grantaire's pulsing cock. Grantaire didn't stop his slight thrusting until he was sure every last bit of cum was inside his boyfriend.

Falling back against the blanket, his arms around Enjolras's torso, Grantaire started to kiss his boyfriend, softly and filled with love. Enjolras stayed on top of him, keeping Grantaire's softening cock inside him as they shared sweet, soft kisses.

When they pulled away, Enjolras placed his forehead against Grantaire's shoulder. Grantaire lazily traced the notches of his spine. Neither one had to say anything for they already knew what the other was feeling.

Enjolras shifted slightly, and Grantaire's cock slipped out. A disappointed sigh escaped him, but it allowed for them to reposition themselves. He rolled onto the blanket, placing his head on his Grantaire's chest.

He planets a small kiss over his heart. "That was good, wasn't it?"

Grantaire grabbed his hand and kissed the inside palm. "It was excellent. Some of the best sex we've had, I think." He placed a kiss on the tip of each one of Enjolras's fingers. "Give me a good 20 minutes and we'll go for round two, okay?"

Enjolras agreed, then said, "You're not planning on leaving this spot all night, are you?"

"Nope." Grantaire laced their hands together. "I've waited a week to christen this flat with you. Once will definitely not be enough."

Enjolras leaned his head up, placing a kiss to the underside of his jaw. "If it's as good as the sex we just had was, we might not leave this flat for a few days."

"Sounds good to me," Grantaire said.

Enjolras laughed, laying his head back down on his chest. Silence fell around them. The only thing they could hear were the cars driving by and sirens going off in the distance. Feet running around in the flat above them. Some kind of British TV show in the flat next to them. And some pots and pans banging in the flat below them. They were completely content for it was finally just them on their own.

"Are you ready for this?" Grantaire asked, fingers coming through Enjolras's drying curls.

Enjolras pulled out of Grantaire's arms to look directly in the eye, saying with unconditional love in his eyes. "I'm ready for anything as long as it's with you."

With a blinding smile, Grantaire leaned up and pulled his lover in for a spellbinding, enthralling kiss. Enjolras pulled Grantaire over him, wrapped one arm around his neck, the other around his waist. Letting their mouths do the talking until they were ready to go again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Come What May" can be listened to [here](https://youtu.be/s6EFp4Nwonw) for the movie version (which is what Grantaire plays since in the timeline the musical doesn't exist...yet) or [here](https://youtu.be/MsWQy-5WXDc) for the Broadway musical version.


	3. Part 3: Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the end! It's short, but I hope that you enjoy it!

_Christmas Day, 2017_

Enjolras and Grantaire had been living in London for over a year and a few months and their relationship was stronger than it had ever been.

For the few days that Grantaire's parents were in London after they moved, Elena and Maxence had bought them a new microwave and a coffee maker, but that was all that they helped out with since they both loved the furniture in the flat. Then, the four of them had spent a few days sightseeing before Elena and Maxence had gone back to New York. That goodbye at the airport had been emotional since they didn't know when they would see each other again that wasn't through a computer screen.

In the first few weeks and months of living in a new city in a foreign country, Enjolras and Grantaire had had to learn how to lean on each other through their homesickness. It didn't help that in the middle of this struggle, Enjolras had started university which had caused his stress level to amplify, but they got through it by talking to each other and doing their best to avoid misunderstandings. They knew that when the other was stressed, they had to give them space until they felt ready to talk.

One of the things they had agreed to do in order to get them through it, was by having a weekly discussion about how they were doing and working out any issues they had. It was also agreed upon that Friday would be their weekly date night where they went out on the town, and more often that not, returned to the flat for some steamy, salacious, earth-shattering sex. Doing both of those things had allowed their relationship to grow stronger and more solid. They had now been together for three years and nine months with Enjolras already in his second year of university and Grantaire working as an art commissioner.

For fun, they had created a YouTube channel under the name: _The Enjoltaire Show._ It was a working title and was subject to change if either of them came up with something better. On their channel, they posted videos in the form of life updates, weekly vlogs, Q&A's, advice, cooking tips, stress reliever tips, art videos, and book reviews. In regards to the book reviews, they had already done reviews for the Shadowhunter books. They had been inspired into creating it because their friends in New York were constantly asking what life was like in London, and showing them was easier than telling. It was something they enjoyed doing, and apart from their friends and family, they had over 30,000 subscribers, with the number going up every day.

As for their future, they had agreed that when the time came, they would apply for dual citizenship for the U.S. and the U.K. since they knew they wanted to live in London for the rest of their lives. It was already determined that in the near future, they would one day get married. And now, it was getting closer to their second Christmas in London.

For Enjolras's 20th birthday, Grantaire had surprised him with the announcement that Adeline, Grantaire's parents, Lamarque, and a few of their friends would be coming to London for Christmas. Adeline and his parents arrived on December 12th and would be staying until January 2nd. With their friends and Lamarque, along with Ella and Mary (Mary's arrival had been a surprise since they had doubted that Enjolras's parents would allow her to come) arrived on December 21st, staying until the 27th. It was the first time they had seen everyone since they left New York and Maxence and Elena since they had helped them move. Their flat was small, so everything that wasn't the couple had to stay in hotels, but none of them minded.

On Christmas Day, before their family and friends arrived for dinner, Grantaire found Enjolras staring off with a faraway look in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around his waist as Enjolras stirred the potatoes on the stove for the Christmas dinner.

"What's bothering you?" Grantaire asked.

"Nothing," Enjolras tried, but he turned his head and saw Grantaire's unimpressed look. "I just...I kind of wish my parents were going to be here. I know that sounds ridiculous because of them being abusive assholes and my disownment, but…"

"I get it." Grantaire kissed Enjolras's neck gently. "Even though they treated you horribly, they were still your parents, and even though you tried not to, deep down you still loved them."

"Yeah, but I love you more and this is the life that I want. Not the life they had planned for me." Enjolras turned, cupping his face.

"I know." Grantaire kissed him softly.

"And now, I'm going to put those thoughts out of my mind. Today is about us, our families, and friends. Not bad thoughts of the past." Enjolras smiled.

"That's my angel," Grantaire said, giving him another small kiss.

***

Later that night, the group had just finished opening up presents, and they were currently eating Christmas cookies and drinking hot chocolate as they started to marathon Christmas movies. Enjolras was sitting next to Jehan and Combeferre having a quiet conversation about how school was going when Grantaire walked over.

"Is it alright if I pull him away for fifteen minutes?" Grantaire asked his friends.

They nodded and Grantaire held his hand out for Enjolras to take, pulling him into their bedroom and closing the door. Angel was in there, sleeping on the bed.

"What are you doing?" Enjolras asked.

"Close your eyes," Grantaire commanded.

Enjolras did as he was asked and Grantaire reached into his pocket to pull out a small box. He stepped behind Enjolras and took the contents out. He undid the clasp and placed the necklace around Enjolras's neck. It was a simple necklace of the infinity symbol with their engraved initials on the back.

He whispered in Enjolras's ear, "Merry Christmas, my angel. You can open your eyes."

Enjolras opened his eyes and his hand fell to the necklace before walking to the mirror that hung off the bedroom door to get a better look at it. He smiled at his boyfriend. "I love it."

Grantaire kissed him before saying against his lips, "And what's my present?"

Enjolras pulled Grantaire's present out from under the bed. He handed the present to his boyfriend, who ripped the paper off. It was a box of very expensive acrylic paint with a brand new set of brushes.

Grantaire looked at Enjolras, who shrugged. "I saw them in a window walking home from class and I thought of you. I've been to the studio that you use for your job. Those paints and paintbrushes look like they haven't been replaced in decades. And you deserve to have your own set. I also got the tips of the paintbrushes engraved with your initials, so you don't have to worry about someone stealing them."

Grantaire kissed him again. "I love them, thank you." He picked up one of the brushes. "And I know exactly what, or rather who, I'm going to paint first using them."

Enjolras blushed bright red. "With or without clothing."

Grantaire raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

Enjolras laughed before kissing Grantaire again. "Okay, but after all of our friends and family leave."

"Of course," Grantaire said.

They kissed again, deeper and more heated this time. When they pulled away, Grantaire reached for Enjolras's hands, lacing them together, and pressed their foreheads together.

"I love you. Until my dying day," Grantaire whispered.

Enjolras gave him another kiss, but the kiss was interrupted by them hearing Courfeyrac yell, "Come on, lovebirds! You'll have this flat to yourselves when we leave. Right now, come out here and join us."

Enjolras and Grantaire separated with a laugh before opening their bedroom door to enjoy the rest of the holiday with their family and friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! ❤️
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome! 😊
> 
> Blog: [The Chief and His Cynic](https://thechiefandhiscynic.blogspot.com/)  
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